Yet the battle for the state superintendent of public instruction, a largely ministerial post, is a harbinger of a possibly perilous schism within the national Democratic Party. The divide could emerge as an intraparty smackdown in 2016 and cause huge discomfort for the next Democratic presidential nominee, who will need both labor and high-tech support.
This state contest is a proving ground for the heightening clash between labor unions and “new” Democratic money, as well as identity politics. It could also signal serious ramifications for the future of K-12 education.
The nominally nonpartisan contest (no party IDs appear on the ballot) pits two Democrats, incumbent Tom Torlakson, heavily supported by unions and the Democratic Party, against challenger Marshall Tuck, a former charter school executive. The state’s teachers’ unions have spent millions of dollars on independent and issue ads supporting Torlakson; the reform coalition, including civil rights organizations, parents’ groups and wealthy Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and national reform proponents, has flooded the zone for Tuck.
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