How Possible Democratic Presidential Contenders Have Handled Betsy DeVos
If Betsy DeVos ever had any hopes of getting Democratic senators to confirm her as education secretary, they probably evaporated right after her January confirmation hearing ended. But some of the Democrats most eager to oppose DeVos seem to be among those who are being floated in the media and elsewhere as possible 2020 contenders for the presidency—including one of DeVos' recent allies.
Below, we've rounded up some reactions from Democrats (several of them in the Senate) to DeVos' nomination, in alphabetical order. We drew the names on this list from a column in the Hill newspaper. Have we left any prominent White House hopefuls out? Let us know in the comments section. One note on this list: Every Democratic senator here has voted in favor of at least one of President Donald Trump's nominees.
• Sen. Cory Booker, of New Jersey: Booker's position with respect to DeVos is the trickiest of anyone on the list. He previously served on the board of the Alliance for School Choice— DeVos' signature issue is expanding vouchers and other forms of choice. And he received enthusiastic support from the American Federation for Children, the pro-voucher organization DeVos led until recently. At a speech to the AFC just last year, Booker told the group, "We have a lot to brag about in Newark, in this cauldron of educational creativity we've created, that has been liberating the choice of our parents. As the Brookings Institution said, Newark is now the no. 4 city in the country for offering parents real school choice." (Booker is the former mayor of Newark.) The full speech is below:
However, Booker announced the day after her confirmation hearing that he would not vote for DeVos, and stressed that he had "serious issues" with her nomination before that hearing. That sent How Possible Democratic Presidential Contenders Have Handled Betsy DeVos - Politics K-12 - Education Week: