School choice super PAC targets anti-school choice Republicans with $10 million

Tommy Schultz, president of the American Federation for Children, said Fox News Digital That his organization is fighting to oust anyone hostile to school choice before the 2026 midterm elections.

“We’re the only school political action committee out there. We deployed over $10 million last year in places like Texas and dozens of other states,” Schultz told Fox News Digital. “There’s a lot going on to protect and enhance all of these tremendous historic victories that have happened in the last four or five years at the state level,” he continued.

Schultz said Fox News Digital The Asian Victory Fund is spending $15 million on 200 races.

The AFC Victory Fund, founded in 2024, is the only single-issue political action committee dedicated to school choice, while, on the other hand, major pro-school choice political action committees such as Club For Growth and Parent Party address many issues in education in general.

The AFC Victory Fund, founded in 2024, is the only single-issue political action committee dedicated to school choice, and is backed by Rep. Matt Van Epps, R-Tenn.

Schultz mentioned that the school choice movement has had tremendous success over the years as Republican governors passed comprehensive school choice and the Trump administration put in place Federal Tax Credit Scholarship. Although Democrats typically advocate allocating taxpayer money to traditional public schools, Republicans have done so, too, and picked up voters’ votes. Support teachers’ unions.

“Historic victories in places like Texas set the tone to remind every Republican who opposes school choice: You will likely lose your next election,” Schultz said. “For example, at the end of last year, we defeated anti-school Republican candidate Jody Barrett in his race for Congress.”

Barrett lost the Republican congressional primary in Tennessee to Matt Van Epps last year.

Barrett Draft an editorial in November 2025, calling on conservatives to reject the push for vouchers as a core conservative issue. Barrett opposed Tennessee Governor Bill Lee’s private school voucher program to “subsidize tuition for those who were already paying it” as the program was used mostly by “the wealthiest districts in the state.”

“Although the administration intentionally failed to track where scholarship recipients were previously enrolled, the data indicate that nearly 90 percent were already enrolled in private schools,” Barrett wrote. He explained in his article that “it is possible to support school freedom and oppose a bad bill.”

Republicans who represent rural areas They often reject school choice policies such as vouchers or charter schools because schools in rural areas tend to face funding challenges due to low enrollment and scarcity of resources, with most states restricting parents to schools within their zip code or the school district that oversees their residential area.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs delivers a brief speech on September 28, 2023, in Tempe, Arizona. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

Trump White House prepares for school tax credit as some Democratic states back down. Here is where you stand

Rural Republican opposition to school choice policies caused the governors of Texas, Iowa, and Tennessee to struggle to pass their comprehensive school choice plans. Involvement of referees in their party’s primaries to help give the boot to candidates opposed to school choice. Concerns include that money is taken from… Traditional public schools They can be used to boost teacher salaries, invest in public school facilities, and hire more teachers.

“The 2026 election cycle is about consolidating the tremendous school choice victories of the last five years,” Schultz said. “We have passed 80 laws in 30 states that have tripled the number of students using private school choice in the states.”

The Houston school district is trying to attract parents while losing students amid the school choice competition

The Asian Victory Fund was instrumental in passing educational savings account programs in Texas. Program It witnessed tremendous success Since its inception on February 4, it has become “the largest rollout of a school choice program in the country,” an Abbott administration spokesperson told Fox News Digital.

This success can be attributed not only to Abbott, but also to the Asian Victory Fund, which supported candidates who championed school choice, targeted Republicans who sought to divert more dollars to public schools and had a history of voting against school choice policies. And now the AFC Victory Fund is eyeing the Arizona gubernatorial race, where its inclusive school choice policy is under threat.

Arizona It became the first state to offer a comprehensive school option to all families in 2022, launching an $800 million program that gives parents $7,000 to cover their children’s tuition. Several other states followed suit, indicating a trend of parents looking for alternative options to traditional public schools, while many school districts in the U.S. Major cities in America They have hemorrhaged students since the pandemic.

American Federation for Children President Tommy Schultz told Fox News Digital that his organization is struggling to oust anyone hostile to school choice before the midterm elections.

The Arizona Empowerment Scholarship Account program has surpassed the 100,000 participant threshold, According to Center Square earlier this month.

The School Choice program was launched in 2011 and initially served only students with special needs. When the program went global in 2022, it had just 12,127 students, according to the report. There has been a 725% increase in the number of participants given the current total.

Click here to download the FOX NEWS app

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs It is said that he wants to shrink Program. Initially, the Democratic governor sought to eliminate the program generally.

“We’re going to play hard out there,” Schultz said.

Hobbs did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Related article