ALEC groups funds Ga. primary fights
Here’s a little bit of intrigue for you: what did an ALEC-affiliated, pro “school choice” group do with $86,000 in Georgia’s primary races?
The American Federation for Children is a group to watch and fear. They are a 501(c)(4) organization, tied to the (c)(3) non-profit Alliance for School Choice.
Both the The American Federation for Children and the Alliance for School Choice fund ALEC activities and shape the organization’s pro-privatization, pro-corporate profits education agenda, with staff and resources bleeding between the two organizations.
Yes, these ALEC-affiliated, pro-school takeover organizations poured resources into Georgia’s primaries. This does not bode well for the upcoming fight against the school takeover ballot measure this November.
The AJC reports that:
“The American Federation for Children spent more than $86,000 supporting a variety of candidates, including Republican and Democratic incumbents. But the group, which advocates for school choice, was a major backer of [Kerstin] Liberty’s bid to unseat [Republican incumbent Howard] Maxwell in Paulding County.”
This is the race for the District 17 seat, which represents Dallas, Ga, a region that sits about halfway between Atlanta and the Alabama border. Liberty was ultimately unsuccessful. Maxwell did vote for the Opportunity School District legislation last year — Deal’s major school takeover package — which begs the question what more does this organization want?
They also put money behind the likes of Bill Cowsert, the powerful Senate Majority Caucus Chair, representing Athens, Ga. Cowsert was able to crush his Republican primary opponent — 76 percent to Patricia Daugherty’s 24 percent — and faces no Democratic opposition in the ALEC groups funds Ga. primary fights:
