These candidates signal the first slate of endorsements for DFER's new Southern region
ATLANTA, GA – Today, Democrats for Education Reform's (DFER) Southern Region—currently covering Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina—announced its endorsement of thirteen education leaders running for seats in the Senate and House primaries in Georgia. DFER's Regional President, South, Alisha Thomas Searcy, a former six-term State Representative from Cobb County and the 2022 Democratic nominee for State School Superintendent, released the following statement:
“We’re proud to support each one of these strong DFER Champions in their races,” said Searcy. “These candidates are prioritizing education issues that are focused on implementing and investing in the Science of Reading, ensuring we have a well-built and well compensated teacher pipeline, accountability in our schools, and ensuring parents have the ability to choose the schools that work best for their children within the public school system. We are proud to be aligned with such strong education reformers, and are looking forward to continuing our support throughout the duration of their campaigns.”
The thirteen candidates officially endorsed are:
DFER is looking forward to continuing to expand our presence in the Southern region, and is dedicated to electing Democratic champions for education reform up and down the ballot.
###
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New Data Reveals Shift in Parental Priorities Towards Quality Education, Democrats Must Emphasize Outcomes in Education Policy Agenda
NEW YORK, N.Y. (April 18, 2024) – Today, Democrats for Education Reform partner Education Reform Now Advocacy released results from an extensive study in collaboration with Impact Research and BSP Research. Seeking to better understand voter sentiment ahead of the 2024 election season, the findings reveal both a concerning trend and a significant opportunity for Democratic leadership.
Prior to Covid, Democrats typically enjoyed double digit advantages over Republicans on education, but that traditional advantage has continued to slide, as evidenced clearly in ERNA’s new polling. The data shows that while Democrats still lead by 15-percentage points in trust on initiatives that prioritize “caring” for students, such as ensuring equality and providing essential services like free lunch and after-school care, the advantage has significantly eroded—down to a 1-percentage point lead over Republicans—on education measures that “deliver” for students. Specifically, voters no longer view Democrats as the party that will educationally prepare kids for future economic success.
The perception that Democrats “care” about education but do not “deliver” on education is shared across various demographics, including Independents and core Democratic voters. When voters were asked whether they believe that Democrats care about education and thereafter were asked whether Democrats will deliver on education, there was a striking dropoff:
"This is a wake-up call for Democrats," said DFER CEO Jorge Elorza. "If Democrats want to deliver for their constituents and win back voter trust on education, they have to offer a vision that both delivers results and resonates deeply with voters.”
While voters are still primarily motivated by ongoing worries over the economy, with a significant majority of voters and parents (59%) believing that young people will be economically worse off than previous generations, the data also illustrates that voters believe education is the key to driving future economic prosperity. The survey results further showed broad bi-partisan support for public school choice and offered a clear path forward in addressing voters’ concerns: Democratic leaders need to embrace improved access to public school options and they must focus on delivering high-quality results that prepare young people for the economy of the future.
“Choice resonates deeply with voters,” Elorza continued. “Since COVID, several Republican states have adopted private school choice laws, but there has been no alternative education vision offered by the left. As such, we’ve lost ground on an issue that was historically a strength for us and continues to be incredibly important to our voter base. With important elections on the horizon, Democrats must embrace an education vision based on improved access to high-quality public school options.”
Matt Hogan, Partner at Impact Research who helped conduct the polling, reiterated Elorza’s cautioning, saying, “To make up the ground they have lost on education, Democrats need to meet voters and parents where they are by focusing more on ensuring that students are learning the skills they need to succeed as adults.”
##
This study consisted of a series of three virtual focus groups and a nationally representative poll. The three virtual focus groups were conducted by Impact Research between December 5-6, 2023, consisting of swing voters between the ages of 25-55 with children in public school. The groups were split by race, with one group each of White, Black, and Latino parents. The sample size is n=1,200 with a credibility interval of +/- 3%. The survey was fielded online by BSP Research from February 2-12, 2024. The sample size is =2,500 registered voters in total, including: n= 1100 White; n= 500 Latino; n=500 Black; n=250 AAPI; and n=922 parents with children age 18 or younger. The questionnaire was conducted in either English or Spanish, according to preference, and results have been weighted to census estimates of the profile of national registered voters. There is a credibility interval of +/-2.0%.
You can view the summary memo here. Additional crosstabs available upon request.
" ["post_title"]=> string(100) "NEW POLL: Concerning Trend and Real Opportunity for Democratic Leaders Ahead of 2024 Election Season" ["post_excerpt"]=> string(0) "" ["post_status"]=> string(7) "publish" ["comment_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["ping_status"]=> string(6) "closed" ["post_password"]=> string(0) "" ["post_name"]=> string(99) "new-poll-concerning-trend-and-real-opportunity-for-democratic-leaders-ahead-of-2024-election-season" ["to_ping"]=> string(0) "" ["pinged"]=> string(0) "" ["post_modified"]=> string(19) "2025-07-07 02:47:03" ["post_modified_gmt"]=> string(19) "2025-07-07 02:47:03" ["post_content_filtered"]=> string(0) "" ["post_parent"]=> int(0) ["guid"]=> string(24) "https://dfer.org/?p=6159" ["menu_order"]=> int(0) ["post_type"]=> string(4) "post" ["post_mime_type"]=> string(0) "" ["comment_count"]=> string(1) "0" ["filter"]=> string(3) "raw" } [2]=> object(WP_Post)#3134 (24) { ["ID"]=> int(6131) ["post_author"]=> string(2) "77" ["post_date"]=> string(19) "2024-03-06 09:55:00" ["post_date_gmt"]=> string(19) "2024-03-06 09:55:00" ["post_content"]=> string(3680) "New York, NY (March 6, 2024) – Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) announced today it is launching its Southern regional strategy with the hiring of Alisha Searcy as the Regional President, South—the first Regional President appointment—of DFER and its affiliate think tank Education Reform Now (ERN).
Searcy, who in 2022 became the Democratic Nominee for Georgia’s State School Superintendent, brings more than a decade of experience as an education expert and leader in Democratic politics—including making history as the first African American from Cobb County to serve in the Georgia House of Representatives, where she served six terms, and sat on the Education, Appropriations and Health and Human Services committees. During her tenure, Searcy coauthored Georgia’s Teacher and Leader Evaluation System, authored the state intra-district transfer law—allowing parents to choose the best public school within their district for their students, regardless of zip code—and coauthored the state’s constitutional amendment that created the State Charter Schools Commission.
"DFER is thrilled to welcome Alisha Searcy's talents and deep experience to our team,” said DFER CEO Jorge Elorza. Alisha's dedication to educational equity and proven track record make her an invaluable resource as we continue to expand our mission to ensure every student receives the high-quality public education they deserve. Her leadership will be instrumental in expanding our impact and continuing to advocate for Democratic values in education across the South."
With the 2024 election season underway, DFER is focused on growing the number of Democratic education champions in the South and across the country, who will strive to advance and defend a student-centered education agenda. These priorities include implementing and protecting policies designed to hold schools accountable, driving innovative improvements in public education, and expanding public school choice so that all students can access high-quality schools that meet their individual needs.
“I am both excited and grateful to lead the work in the South to identify and support champions for public school choice, accountability, and innovation in our public schools,” said Searcy. “As a former state legislator, I know first-hand how critical it is for policymakers to know someone has their backs as they courageously advocate for and move policies that will change students' life trajectories. I look forward to contributing to the movement in this meaningful way.”
###
About Democrats for Education Reform
Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) is a national political organization that supports elected Democrats and candidates for office who seek to expand policies and practices that increase educational equity for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. It is a partner organization of Education Reform Now Advocacy, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization that supports DFER’s legislative and policy advocacy work. DFER maintains state chapters in Colorado, Connecticut, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C. www.dfer.org.
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ATLANTA, GA – Today, Democrats for Education Reform's (DFER) Southern Region—currently covering Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina—announced its endorsement of thirteen education leaders running for seats in the Senate and House primaries in Georgia. DFER's Regional President, South, Alisha Thomas Searcy, a former six-term State Representative from Cobb County and the 2022 Democratic nominee for State School Superintendent, released the following statement:
“We’re proud to support each one of these strong DFER Champions in their races,” said Searcy. “These candidates are prioritizing education issues that are focused on implementing and investing in the Science of Reading, ensuring we have a well-built and well compensated teacher pipeline, accountability in our schools, and ensuring parents have the ability to choose the schools that work best for their children within the public school system. We are proud to be aligned with such strong education reformers, and are looking forward to continuing our support throughout the duration of their campaigns.”
The thirteen candidates officially endorsed are:
DFER is looking forward to continuing to expand our presence in the Southern region, and is dedicated to electing Democratic champions for education reform up and down the ballot.
###
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