If Tuesday night’s Republican Party primary elections are any indicator, Iowa Republicans made clear they want Education Savings Accounts offered to Iowa families.
Perhaps no other issue defined the campaign season we just experienced. So much so that Gov. Kim Reynolds issued multiple endorsements in Iowa House Republican primaries. And the governor just about ran the table.
Iowa House Republicans killed Education Savings Accounts in back-to-back years. And some of the most vocal opponents of school choice lost re-election bids on Tuesday night.
I’m not positive what the political calculus was of House Republicans who opposed ESAs after watching what happened in Virginia as well as school board elections across the country last November. All of that was driven by parents realizing just how terrible some schools are — whether it is indoctrination or creating “gender plans” for seventh-grade students. Or stocking sexually explicit materials on the library shelves. Or flying the rainbow flag in the hallway. Or promoting anti-law enforcement propaganda.
That list, folks, could go on. And on. Aaaaaand on.
School choice was on the ballot in Iowa last night, and it won. Almost without exception. Almost.
The message was clear and delivered without a doubt. House Speaker Pat Grassley needs to wake up to the political realities of grassroots conservatives here in Iowa. He put his eggs in a basket and many of them cracked last night.
The takeaway is fairly simple — Iowa moms and dads want choice. They want a chance to put their children in the best education system for their children. They don’t want to feel stuck in a school simply because of their ZIP code any longer.
Parents want to be the final say in their child’s education. They want the ability to find the right fit for their kid regardless of finances. That’s all.
It isn’t a big ask. Or at least it is not supposed to be a big ask of a Republican Party that literally contains strong support for school choice in its own platform.
Education Savings Accounts were a big winner on Tuesday night. And, in return, so were Iowa parents and families.
