2026 Election: GOP state superintendent candidates debate

2026 GOP Superintendent of Public Instruction primary debate

After the Democratic debate on May 13, Republicans Tom Horne and Kimberly Yee took part in a GOP debate on May 14 for the state's Superintendent of Public Instructions primary.

PHOENIX - After the Democratic Party debate on May 13, Republican candidates for Arizona's Superintendent of Public Instruction took part in their debate on Thursday night.

Here's what to know.

Who's organizing the debate?

Per their website, the Citizens Clean Elections Commission is the official debate sponsor.

Who will take part?

As mentioned above, this debate will only involve Republican Party candidates, with Democratic Party candidates having had their separate debate a day prior.

The commission's website states that Tom Horne and Kimberly Yee will take part in the debate.

Tom Horne (left) and Kimberly Yee (right)

Both candidates are current state officeholders: Yee is the incumbent state treasurer who can't run for that post again due to term limits, while Horne is the incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction. He previously served in the same post from 2003 to 2011.

Dig deeper:

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.

Horne's campaign website, meanwhile, states that he "has a record of fighting wokeness and getting the emphasis back on Academics in the schools," as well as mentioning various culture war-related topics, like his efforts against DEI, Critical Race Theory, and transgender students in sports.

According to the Associated Press, the term "critical race theory" is used by conservatives as a catchall for subjects they don’t want to be taught in the classroom, though in reality, it refers to a complex academic and legal framework centered on the idea that racism is embedded in the nation’s systems.

The AP reported in 2021 that while there's little to no evidence that CRT itself is being taught to K-12 public school students, some ideas central to it, such as lingering consequences of slavery, have been.

The other side:

As mentioned above, Democratic candidates Bretty Newby and Teresa Leyba Ruiz debated on Wednesday night.

Arizona Superintendent candidates debate

Democratic primary candidates Brett Newby and Teresa Leyba Ruiz discuss their competing visions for the future of public education in Arizona. Teresa Leyba Ruiz (D): A veteran educator campaigning on restoring trust in educators, teacher recruitment pipelines, and auditing the ESA voucher program. Brett Newby (D): A Board Certified Behavior Analyst and educator, focusing on behavioral support services, equity for students with diverse learning needs, and closing the funding gap for rural schools.

When are the primaries?

Primary elections will happen statewide on July 21, according to the Arizona Secretary of State's Office.