Choice of 2 Democrats for AZ Superintendent of Public Instruction

Two Democrats Dr.David Garcia and Sharon Thomas  are running in the Arizona primary (August 26) for Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction.  The winner of this race will face of the winner of the Republican primary between incumbent John Huppenthal and Diane Douglas.

In case you haven’t cast your early ballot and prefer to vote later, or on election day, there’s still time to consider the 2 candidates on the Democratic ticket:

Dr. David Garcia, Associate Professor in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University.  Bio from Citizens Clean Elections Commission Voter guide:

Party:  Democrat     Campaign Funding:  Traditional     Web:  www.dg4az.com

As a 4th-generation Arizonan, public school parent and ASU professor, I know our schools,  students and state are not falling behind because of a lack of talent. We are racing to the  bottom because of a lack of vision and expertise at the top. Arizona’s public schools have been  struggling under the weight of increased demands and drastic funding cuts. We face an  alarming achievement gap, an overreliance on test scores over commonsense instruction, and a  lack of leadership from the state superintendent. I’ve devoted my career to improving our public  schools. I’ve been an education policy analyst, research director and Associate State  Superintendent for Standards and Accountability. I have the expertise and ideas that will  strengthen our public schools. As a professor, I’ve trained hundreds of Arizona’s educators. I  know what our teachers need to be successful in the classroom, and I am proud to have the endorsement of the Arizona Education Association and party leaders such as Fred DuVal. Our schools are not better off than they were four years ago, and we can’t afford more of the same. End the status quo. Vote for strong schools and a  stronger Arizona. Vote David Garcia!

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AZ Dem reorganization meeting: Not a good day for incumbents (video)

Welcome_0096-sm72by Pamela Powers Hannley

Saturday, January 26, was a day of surprises– a bad day for incumbent Democratic Party officers but a good day for activists and young Democrats. It was the culmination of the Arizona Democratic Party's (ADP) statewide reorganization, which began with the election of new precinct committee (PC) persons in August.

These last two years have been somewhat tumultuous for the ADP, after the stormy election and eventual resignation of Andrei Cherny (of No Labels fame) as party chair. Both the county and state parties came under fire from candidates and activists for playing favorites, endorsing candidates before the primary election, and, sometimes, and actively working for or against certain Democratic candidates. As a result, many unhappy campers grumbled on Facebook, on the blogs, and in person, and some even protested the headquarters in Phoenix. Multiple groups— including progressives— used the past few months to gain power in the local party structure– with an eye on Saturday's state committee meeting. 

On Saturday, 400+ elected precinct committee people elected the chair, eight vice chairs (four of each gender from different counties), a secretary, a treasurer, a DNC representative, an education coordinator, and an affirmative action moderator. 

The first upset victory of the day was for first vice chair. Former Carmona campaign manager and long-time activist Alexis Tameron beat three-term vice chair Harriet Young handily. After the jump, watch a video of Tameron, as well as more details, photos, and election results.