Friday, June 8, 2012

RheeFirst! » Corporate reform candidates in CA primaries backed by big money show Democratic divide on education

RheeFirst! » Corporate reform candidates in CA primaries backed by big money show Democratic divide on education:


Corporate reform candidates in CA primaries backed by big money show Democratic divide on education

Written by Stephanie Simon for Reuters. Read the entire article here.
Democratic candidates backed by teachers unions narrowly lost on Tuesday in two California state assembly primary races that highlighted a bitter split in the Democratic Party over education policy.
…Wealthy philanthropists, hedge-fund managers and internet entrepreneurs – bound together by a common goal of overhauling public education – spent an eye-popping $1.4 million to bolster the candidacy of Brian Johnson, a Democrat who until recently ran a network of charter schools.
…Michelle Rhee, the former chancellor of the Washington, D.C., public schools, also emerged as a major player in the California primaries.
Rhee… spent $370,000 to back Calderon and about $400,000 in support of Johnson. The political action committee she founded to engage in California races started out with $2 million, which would leave more than $1 million in reserve for the general election.