A Wave of New Political Polls Is Raising Red Flags for Democrats on Education

Ahead of the midterms, new polling shows waning confidence in public schools and a shift in voters’ attitudes towards conservative classroom policies

Throughout the summer, an array of new polls — many commissioned by Democratic allies — have shown that the party has lost ground and credibility on K-12 schools, an issue it has long dominated among voters. 

In a recent breakdown, 74 Senior Writer Kevin Mahnken notes the polls “were released by interest groups representing opposite ends of the center-left public policy spectrum … but both point to an electorate that is increasingly skeptical of the Democratic education brand and open to Republican counter-proposals.” 

In particular, Mahnken observes, “Forty-seven percent [of respondents] said they trusted Republicans to handle public education today, compared with just 43 percent who trusted Democrats. And the numbers grew worse among parents, who favored Republicans by nine points.” 

Watch Mahnken’s video explainer of the findings — and click here to read his full coverage.

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