Blue states stand as the final frontier for universal school choice, and Republicans can break through by wielding parental rights as a political juggernaut.
Victory won’t come from moral suasion alone. The people must make support for parental rights politically irresistible, even for Democrats. Republicans must lean hard into education as a wedge issue, exposing the teachers unions’ stranglehold on the Democratic Party and turning the tide through electoral pressure, demographic shifts, and strategic weakening of union power.
For too long, school choice has been stalled in Democratic strongholds such as California and New York. These states cling to a government monopoly that fails too many children, especially low-income and minority students trapped in underperforming public schools.
The obstacle is teachers’ unions, which operate as a de facto money-laundering operation for the Democratic Party. In the 2024 election cycle, over 99% of the political contributions from the American Federation of Teachers went to Democrats, funneling millions from teachers’ paychecks into left-leaning campaigns.
Unions fight school choice tooth and nail to protect their grip on the system. They don’t want families empowered to exit failing districts for private options that aren’t controlled by union bosses. This monopoly mindset prioritizes adult interests over children’s needs, and that prioritization will cost Democrats votes.
The good news is that parental rights in education are a political winner, and Republicans are already proving it. Look at Virginia in 2021, where Glenn Youngkin rode a wave of parent discontent over school closures, critical race theory, and transgender insanity to defeat then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe. Youngkin’s “parents matter” mantra resonated in a blue-leaning state, flipping the governorship and delivering a blueprint for national success.
In 2024, a nationwide poll by AtlasIntel showed Donald Trump beating then-Vice President Kamala Harris on education, with voters trusting Republicans more on the issue. As parents demand transparency and choice, Democrats ignoring them do so at their peril.
Electoral bleeding will force change. Families are voting with their feet, fleeing high-tax, union-dominated states for school-choice havens. California and New York have seen net outflows of hundreds of thousands of residents, many heading to Arizona, Texas, and Florida, where education savings accounts let dollars follow the child. This migration reshapes Congress.
The 2030 Census is projected to reapportion House seats and electoral votes toward red and purple states that prioritize parental rights, punishing laggards like Illinois and Massachusetts.
In fact, seven of the eight states projected to gain electors in the 2030 census have universal school choice, whereas none of the seven states projected to lose electors have universal school choice. Our federal system, with its laboratories of democracy, rewards innovation. States that expand choice see improved student outcomes and happier families, pressuring others to catch up or fall behind.
School choice enjoys broad popularity. Polls consistently show support crossing party lines, with majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents favoring options like education savings accounts.
This shift won’t happen overnight. Teachers unions own the Democratic Party and pressure politicians to protect the status quo. To break their hold, parents and advocates must apply relentless pressure. One potent strategy is to convince teachers to opt out of union dues, starving the beast from the inside.
The Supreme Court’s 2018 Janus v. AFSCME decision ruled that public employees can’t be forced to pay union fees as a condition of employment, because that would violate their First Amendment rights. Yet many teachers remain unaware or intimidated into staying dues-paying members. A 2017 Education Week survey revealed that only 41% of teachers identify as Democrats.
The other 59% of non-Democrats are subsidizing a political machine that opposes their values, and there’s no good reason for them to do so any longer. The Teacher Freedom Alliance now provides $2 million in personal liability insurance to teachers who opt out.
If enough teachers opt out en masse, unions will hemorrhage funds. A 2025 National Bureau of Economic Research study found that weakening union power reduces dues collection and, crucially, slashes campaign contributions to Democratic candidates. That funding shortfall translates to electoral gains for Republicans, as unions divert resources from politics to core member services such as better working conditions and professional development.
Resistant union leaders will dig in, but defiance only accelerates their decline. The more they cling to anti-choice crusades, the more members they’ll alienate, leading to further opt-outs and diminished clout. Democrats, facing leaner campaign war chests, will feel the pinch in tight races. As Republicans rack up wins, they’ll secure majorities to enact universal school choice in more states.
HIGH SCHOOL TEST SCORES ACROSS SUBJECTS REACH HISTORIC LOWS
Teachers deserve the right to choose whether to fund political agendas they disagree with, just as parents deserve options for their children. Weakening unions refocuses them on advocacy that benefits classrooms over politicians.
Democrats won’t embrace school choice out of altruism. They’ll do it when the political math becomes undeniable. By wielding parental rights as a unifying force, Republicans can dismantle union barriers and deliver a school choice revolution that empowers families across all communities.
Corey DeAngelis is a senior fellow at the American Culture Project and a visiting fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research.