Arizona State Treasurer Kimberly Yee announced on Wednesday that she is running for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Yee is challenging incumbent Republican Superintendent Tom Horne.
The winner of the Republican Primary will likely face off against Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz.
Yee, who currently holds the highest statewide office of any Arizona Republican, has nearly completed her second consecutive term in office as Treasurer and is term limited under the Arizona’s Constitution.
“For far too long, the leadership at the Arizona Department of Education has missed the mark and our children and teachers are paying the price,” Yee told voters.
Yee, who was a staunch supporter of Common Core, touted her legislative experience with an emphasis on educational policy writing in her press release. “I helped write the laws in the 1990s that made Arizona the nation’s leader in school choice,” claimed Yee.
Arizona children, families and teachers deserve a State Superintendent who will deliver real results, and that includes someone who will fight to protect their educational freedom — I’m that candidate. 🇺🇸
SIGN MY PETITION
➡️ https://t.co/8g1yKYYdGG pic.twitter.com/CiaOk1YGyQ— Kimberly Yee (@KimberlyYeeAZ) May 28, 2025
Yee then took aim at her upcoming primary opponent stating, “As a former Chair of the Senate Education Committee, I fought to protect children from woke ideology and the kind of big government overreach we’re seeing from the current State Superintendent.”
During a press conference announcing her candidacy in front of the Arizona Capitol Wednesday, Yee told supporters that she intends to partner with parents to strengthen school choice options, protecting and preserving educational opportunities for all students.
“Our state’s children and their families are too important to be left paying the price for petty political games and empty campaign rhetoric,” she told reporters.