Former teacher Ruiz declares victory in race for Arizona superintendent of public instruction

Former school teacher Teresa Leyba Ruiz declared victory Thursday over Republican Kimberly Yee in the race to become Arizona’s next public schools chief. 

As of early Thursday afternoon, Ruiz held a sizable lead over Yee, with a more than 133,000 vote difference between the two. The race has yet to be called; many votes remain uncounted, but a change in the outcome is unlikely at this stage, with about 186,000 votes left to be counted in Maricopa County, where most of Arizona’s voters live. 

In a written statement announcing her win, Ruiz celebrated her status as the first Latina and third educator to be elected as the state Superintendent of Public Instruction.

“I am beyond honored that Arizona voters have placed their trust in me to serve as Superintendent of Public Instruction,” Ruiz said. “This victory is historic for our students, teachers, and families: a math teacher defeating a career politician to lead the state’s public schools.”

Yee, Arizona’s current state treasurer, was recruited to run by state lawmaker Jake Hoffman, the head of the state legislature’s far-right Arizona Freedom Caucus, in clear repudiation of incumbent Tom Horne. Hoffman and other Republican politicians felt that Horne, a Republican, had failed to adequately defend Arizona’s school voucher system from public criticism. 

Along with Hoffman’s endorsement, Yee won the backing of Turning Point USA, the organization founded by Charlie Kirk, setting her apart as the hardline conservative candidate, after years of establishing a reputation as a moderate and distancing herself from the party’s fringe. Yee has yet to concede her loss. 

Ruiz spent more than two decades as a public school teacher and later became the president of Glendale Community College. She billed herself to voters as the right choice to represent Arizona’s public school system and characterized Yee as an extremist without experience in or respect for public schools. 

The race between the two candidates centered around the state’s school voucher system, which has faced ongoing scrutiny over its lack of regulations. Known formally as Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, Republican lawmakers initially created the program to benefit students with special education needs, but gradually relaxed its eligibility over the years, ultimately adding a universal expansion in 2022.  Public education advocates have accused the program, which has ballooned to an annual cost of $1 billion, of siphoning money away from public schools. 

Since eligibility was opened up to anyone, students who have never attended a public school have been able to apply for ESA grants to help pay for private school tuition. Despite the program’s growing size and the accusations of wasteful spending, Republicans have resisted adding restrictions to it, even as reporting has found that some voucher recipients used the money to make luxury purchases, including for diamond rings and airplane tickets. But that may change in the near future, after Democrats, who have long pushed for a repeal of the universal expansion, won a legislative majority in Tuesday’s election. 

The state superintendent has an active role in overseeing the school voucher program and advocating for or against new regulations. 

While Yee hammered Horne during the Republican primary for not properly  addressing fraud in the program, she rejected the idea that the program needs greater regulation, instead vowing to implement a better system to check for suspicious payment requests. Ruiz, however, has consistently called for increased controls and tighter eligibility requirements, saying that private schools that accept voucher money should face the same accountability measures that public schools do. 

On Thursday, Ruiz reiterated that stance, saying that she is committed to supporting public education and ensuring that the public funds are spent responsibly. 

“These results give us an opportunity to turn the page: to invest in student outcomes, bring much-needed accountability and transparency to taxpayer dollars, and put students ahead of political agendas,” she said, in her written statement. 

Ruiz also extended Yee an invitation to join her staff as a member of the ESA accountability team, where she could help oversee the voucher program.