The race for Arizona’s head of public education between Republican Kimberly Yee and Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz has not been decided. According to preliminary results, Ruiz is leading, but the media consider the outcome too close to call a winner.
According to preliminary figures as of 2:01 a.m. Wednesday, Leyba Ruiz had 54 percent of the vote and Yee had 46 percent, KJZZ reported. Earlier, on Tuesday evening, Ruiz’s lead was larger, at about 55 to 44 percent. The results are unofficial, and the vote count is continuing.
Both candidates are seeking to succeed incumbent Republican Tom Horne. Horne lost to Yee in the Republican primary in July. A win by either candidate would be historic: Yee would be the first person of Asian descent in the post, and Ruiz would be the first Latina.
Yee is currently the state treasurer. She supports the state’s school voucher program, known as Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA), and her main priority is improving student test scores. She is backed by Turning Point USA and the Freedom Caucus in the state legislature.
Leyba Ruiz, a former math teacher and former president of Glendale Community College, is running for office for the first time. She wants additional requirements in the ESA program and names the state’s teacher shortage as her priority.
The winner will lead the Arizona Department of Education. He or she will have to deal with the controversy surrounding the voucher program, the teacher shortage and the worsening finances of school districts.
Source: AZFamily
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