PHOENIX - Two people who are vying to become Arizona's next top education official will take part in a debate on Sept. 15, and here's what to know.
Who is organizing the debate?
The Citizens Clean Elections Commission is the official debate sponsor.
Who is taking part in the debate?
Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz is facing Republican Kimberly Yee in this debate.
Kimberly Yee
Kimberly Yee (Arizona State Treasurer's Office)
Yee, who is currently the Arizona State Treasurer, defeated incumbent superintendent Tom Horne in the GOP primary. Under state law, she cannot seek another term as treasurer.
Yee's campaign website states that she has education policy experience, citing her involvement with expanding school choice and the state's school vouchers program. She also touted her advocacy of financial education, claiming she was a sponsor of legislation that adds financial literacy to the K-12 academic standards in schools.
Teresa Leyba Ruiz
Teresa Leyba Ruiz
According to her campaign website, Leyba Ruiz is the former president of Glendale Community College, and has 35 years of experience as an educator.
On the priorities section of her campaign site, Leyba Ruiz said she will:
- End automatic approval of Empowerment Scholarship Accounting expenditures of $2,000 or less.
- Advocate for increased public school funding
- Offer guidance and best practices on AI
What happened to Tom Horne? Isn't he running for a second term?
Tom Horne
Tom Horne was running for a second term as Superintendent of Public Instruction, but he was defeated by Yee in the GOP primary.
Are there other candidates in this race?
Besides Leyba Ruiz and Yee, officials with the Arizona Secretary of State's Office say there are two other candidates in this race: Gerard Davis and Stephen Neal Jr.
Gerard Davis
According to a document last revised on Sept. 9, 2026 by the Arizona Secretary of State's Office, Davis is the Green Party write-in candidate for this race.
According to his nomination paper, Davis is a 65-year-old man who lives in Phoenix. In a post made on Facebook, Davis said he worked as a case manager with both the Arizona Department of Child Safety and the state's Department of Economic Security.
What Davis Said:
"I am running because of accusations of fraud, waste, and abuse in the Empowerment Scholarship Account program and concern for the educational needs for children with developmental disabilities and children in the foster care system," Davis wrote.
Stephen Neal Jr.
Per the Secretary of State's Office, Neal is a write-in candidate for the No Labels Party. Per his nomination paper, Neal is a 55-year-old who lives in Surprise.
According to his campaign website, Neal has held various roles within the education profession, ranging from school psychologist to special education director. On the visions page of his campaign site, Neal said he will "actively cultivate innovative educational approaches that compel parents to choose Arizona's public schools for their children," while ensuring that "options for charter schools, homeschooling, and private schools remain available, all while maintaining strict academic accountability and transparency."
When is the general election?
Per the Arizona Secretary of State's Office website, the general election will take place on Nov. 3, 2026, and the deadline to register to vote in that election is Oct. 5.
What you can do:
To register as a voter, you can visit the Secretary of State's website.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from the Arizona Secretary of State's Office, the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, the campaign websites of Teresa Leyba Ruiz, Stephen Neal Jr., Kimberly Yee, and from Gerard Davis' campaign profile on social media.