Arizona’s Democrat Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman has conceded the race to Republican Tom Horne.
Hoffman said her campaign came up short after a “hard-fought race” and that serving as the state’s schools chief has been among the “greatest honors of her life.”
After a hard-fought race, we came up short. I want to thank my supporters, volunteers, and staff who stood by me during this election. And I especially want to thank my family for all of their love and support.
— Kathy Hoffman (@kathyhoffman_az) November 17, 2022
Horne celebrated by announcing that school choice advocate, Christine Accurso would be leading his school choice division.
Tom Horne will be Arizona's next Superintendent of Public Instruction! 🎉
The day after the election I called to congratulate Tom. He thanked me and then said he would like to appoint me as the new executive director of the ESA division at the Dept. of Ed.
I accepted.
1/3— Christine Accurso (@ArizonaCatholic) November 17, 2022
During the 2022 Legislative Session, Arizona lawmakers passed the most expansive school choice program in the nation. Accurso led a fight against the teachers’ union’s campaign to kill that bill, sponsored by Rep. Ben Toma. The bill provides Empowerment Scholarship Accounts to all K-12 student to attend their school of choice in Arizona.
Horne’s victory is seen as a repudiation of those, who like Hoffman, fought to keep kids in failing public schools.
Horne, a former superintendent, and state attorney general, made student performance the cornerstone of his campaign.