Bill Lee, School Choice Supporter, Victorious in Tennessee Governor’s Race

The American Federation for Children, the nation’s voice for educational choice, congratulates Bill Lee on winning the gubernatorial race. His election results are in line with numerous public polls of Tennessee voters that have found strong, bipartisan support for school choice.
Notably, Karl Dean attacked Bill Lee in the final weeks for supporting all educational options. It’s clear that attacking a family’s right to choose the best school for their child is a failed strategy.
Statement from Shaka Mitchell, Tennessee State Director for the American Federation for Children:
“Tonight’s results confirm recent statewide polling – that Tennessee voters overwhelmingly prefer candidates who support increasing parent choice in education. In the race for Governor, Tennessee was fortunate to have two forward thinking candidates in Bill Lee and Karl Dean. But, where Dean would have supported only a limited range of options for families, Governor-elect Bill Lee will leave no stone unturned in the search for quality options for all Tennesseans. Research shows that there is no one way to school and students need options that match their interests and talents. Great schools are found in all sectors: zoned, public charter, independent, and home school, and I am confident that this new administration will continue Tennessee’s upward trajectory by empowering parents with meaningful access to the best education for their children.”
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Williamson County businessman Bill Lee handily won both the Republican primary (in August) and tonight’s general election, defeating Democrat Karl Dean. Lee has consistently talked about the need to extend Tennessee’s recent education gains to every community: suburban, rural, and urban, and using school choice as a vehicle for this progress. Williamson County boasts some of the top-performing public schools in the state while also experiencing some of the highest private school participation statewide, showing that school choice isn’t merely linked to the quality of schools – parents fundamentally want to choose the best educational setting for their children.
The American Federation for Children is the nation’s leading school choice advocacy organization and works in states across the country to help secure additional, high-quality educational options for families.