Teachers鈥� unions are playing a strong role in state elections this fall, providing candidates across the country with grassroots support, endorsements, and millions of dollars in campaign contributions鈥攖he vast majority of that money flowing to Democrats.
Republicans are widely expected to make major gains in the 2010 congressional elections, and they appear poised to pick up seats in many competitive state races for governor and other offices.
Unions have voiced concerns about some aspects of the Obama administration鈥檚 national education agenda over the past two years. Yet at the state level, Democrats are receiving considerable support from the political arms of the 3.2 million-member National Education Association and the 1.5 million-member American Federation of Teachers, as they have in past campaigns, heading into the final push before the Nov. 2 general elections.
Election Landscape
Thirty-seven governors鈥� races and seven state superintendents鈥� contests will be decided this fall as will more than 6,000 state legislative seats.
The unions鈥� political organizations and employees have devoted a combined $8.2 million to Democratic candidates and party committees at the state level so far during the 2010 election cycle, according to the , a nonpartisan campaign-finance-research organization based in Helena, Mont. By comparison, just $938,000 in donations has flowed to GOP candidates and committees so far, according to institute data compiled through Sept. 27.
Perhaps not surprisingly, at a time when states are facing major budget crises, many union affiliates are backing candidates the organizations believe will fight to protect school funding.
The weak economy 鈥渁ffects members and their jobs. It affects them personally,鈥� said Karen M. White, the political director of the NEA.
鈥淓ducation is typically a locally based decision,鈥� she said. 鈥淕overnors are going to be absolutely critical decisionmakers on education.鈥�
California Showdown
Education spending has emerged as a big issue in California, a state that has faced continual budget crises in recent years.
Both the 325,000-member California Teachers Association, an NEA affiliate, and the 120,000-member California Federation of Teachers, an AFT affiliate, have thrown their support behind the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, state Attorney General .
The CTA recently feuded with Mr. Brown鈥檚 opponent, Republican , over her pledge to cut government spending by $15 billion. Last month, a CTA television advertisement claimed that Ms. Whitman鈥檚 spending cuts would result in $7 billion in reductions for schools. Ms. Whitman鈥檚 campaign called the ad 鈥渁 lie鈥� and asked broadcasters to take it off the air. The union eventually made what it described as 鈥渕inor changes鈥� to its content, though it defended its overall message.
CTA President David A. Sanchez said the union has concerns about several of the put forward by Ms. Whitman, a former chief executive officer for eBay, the online auction and shopping company. The CTA objects, for instance, to her plan to assign schools letter grades, from A to F, based on their performance. The union fears it will lead to more 鈥減ointing of fingers鈥� at struggling schools, Mr. Sanchez said. (Ms. Whitman鈥檚 campaign did not respond to requests for comment.)
This year, education spending is hugely important to the CTA鈥檚 members, Mr. Sanchez said. He believes the record of Mr. Brown in public office鈥攈e served as California鈥檚 governor from 1975 to 1983鈥攈as shown that he can work with Democratic and Republican state lawmakers to craft budgets that protect education.
鈥淭here鈥檚 just not much more you can take from schools,鈥� Mr. Sanchez argued. 鈥淭here鈥檚 no more meat on the bone. It鈥檚 just amputation.鈥�
The political arms of the teachers鈥� unions have traditionally taken a strong interest in state elections, campaign records show.
The NEA was the largest single provider of political cash at the state and federal levels during the 2007-2008 election cycle, contributing a combined $56.5 million, according to data provided by the , a nonpartisan campaign-finance-research organization in Washington, and by the . The CRP notes that the data on federal money are not based on donations from the organizations themselves, but rather from the unions鈥� political action committees, the unions鈥� employees, and the employees鈥� immediate family members.
Of that combined state and federal money, the overwhelming amount, $53.8 million, went to state-level candidates, political parties, and ballot measures, rather than to federal candidates and national parties. Similarly, of the $12.3 million contributed by the AFT鈥檚 political organizations and employees that cycle, $9.3 million flowed into the states, the CRP and institute reported.
Separate data compiled by the institute for the 2010 election cycle shows that, at the state level alone, the NEA and its PACs, its subsidiaries, and the union鈥檚 employees have through Sept. 27 contributed $13.8 million to candidates and issues. The AFT and its PACs, its subsidiaries, and the union鈥檚 employees have given roughly $3.5 million toward state candidates and causes, according to the institute. NEA officials said some of their state-focused donations come from a fund devoted specifically to ballot measures and legislative issues, which is not a PAC.
As has been the case in past election cycles, both unions鈥� political arms and employees so far have spent considerable sums鈥攖he NEA $6.9 million, the AFT $1.2 million鈥攐n state ballot measures in the 2010 cycle, the institute reports. One ballot measure that has drawn both the CTA鈥檚 and cft鈥檚 support this fall is California鈥檚 Proposition 25, which would lower the legislative margin needed to pass state budgets to a simple majority from a two-thirds majority. The two-thirds threshold forces the legislature to cater to the demands of a handful of lawmakers late in the process, the cft argues, a process that often hurts schools in the budget.
Partisan Patterns
State elections are playing out as some teachers鈥�-union members have voiced concerns about issues such as the Obama administration鈥檚 backing of pay-for-performance plans for teachers and of charter schools. But a number of union officials said they have not seen any dampening of support for Democratic candidates.
鈥淲e鈥檝e gotten out and told our members, if you don鈥檛 get involved in this election, the alternative is much worse,鈥� said Mr. Sanchez, of the California Teachers Association.
Ms. White, of the national NEA, also said she saw no slackening in enthusiasm this election season. At least 59,000 union members have volunteered across the country this fall, a number that topped NEA projections and could grow by 50 percent between now and the general election, she predicted.
Across the country, contributions from the NEA and AFT, their subsidiaries, and their employees to Democrats exceed those to Republicans by more than an 8-to-1 ratio, according to institute records. Yet some state-level affiliates are encouraging their members to back GOP candidates this fall, in both state and closely watched federal campaigns.
In Nebraska, Republican is being supported by the Nebraska State Education Association. The governor, who is opposed by Democrat , has won the union鈥檚 trust by urging local school district officials to increase teacher salaries and by supporting improved retirement benefits for teachers, among other positions, said Jess Wolf, the president of the affiliate.
鈥淗e鈥檚 been very open to having discussions with us on almost any issue,鈥� Mr. Wolf said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had more access to him than any other governor.鈥�
In Alaska, the state鈥檚 13,000-member NEA affiliate is backing Democrat in the governor鈥檚 race against incumbent Republican . But it is also recommending incumbent Republican in her race for the U.S. Senate over Republican nominee and Democrat . Mr. Miller defeated Ms. Murkowski in the GOP primary, but the senator has since launched a write-in campaign for the general election.
The union credits Ms. Murkowskifor working to have the state鈥檚 rural schools treated fairly under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, NEA-Alaska president Barb Angaiak said.
Florida Complexity
Another union stepping outside the usual party affiliations is the Florida Education Association, a 140,000-member affiliate of both the AFT and the NEA. In the Florida governor鈥檚 race, the union is recommending Democrat Alex Sink over Republican Rick Scott. But in the U.S. Senate campaign, it is backing both , who is running as an independent, and Democrat over Republican .
Mr. Crist鈥檚 decision earlier this year to veto a controversial merit-pay measure, Senate Bill 6, 鈥渉ad a lot to do鈥� with the union鈥檚 backing for him as well as for Mr.Meek, said FEA spokesman Mark Pudlow.
In the District of Columbia, the local affiliate of the AFT endorsed council Chairman Vincent C. Gray in the Sept. 14 Democratic mayoral primary, in which he defeated incumbent Adrian M. Fenty. Mayor Fenty鈥檚 handpicked schools chancellor, Michelle A. Rhee, has battled the union over performance pay and teacher dismissals. (鈥淩hee Reflects on Her Stormy Tenure in D.C.,鈥� Sept. 22, 2010.)
The publication Politico that the AFT鈥檚 political arm contributed $1 million to a labor-backed independent-expenditure campaign to defeat Mr. Fenty, though the union would not confirm or deny that. Mr. Gray is widely expected to win the Nov. 2 general election in the overwhelmingly Democratic city.
Like the NEA, the AFT has found that its members are focused on the economy and its impact on schools, said John M. Ost, the union鈥檚 political director. He said the AFT is running 鈥渕ember-to-member鈥� campaigns in at least 30 states this election season. Organizing teachers over the summer is difficult, but the union鈥檚 campaign activity has ramped up more recently as members have become easier to reach, Mr. Ost said.
At the same time, both he and Ms. White, of the NEA, agreed that the poor economy and the financial pressures it has created make it more difficult for individual teachers to work the campaign trail and get to know the candidates.
鈥淭imes are tough for folks, and our [members] are not exempt from that,鈥� Mr. Ost said. In their 鈥減ersonal lives, family lives, 鈥� people have a lot going on,鈥� he said.
The challenge in that environment, Mr. Ost said, is 鈥渢rying to find the time to explain issues.鈥�
