San Antonio pro-voucher candidate Marc LaHood dodges recent voucher question

Even though Texas House hopeful Marc LaHood landed the backing of Gov. Greg Abbott due to his support of school vouchers, the Republican candidate appeared to draw a blank when asked how “school choice” is playing out in another Sunbelt state.

During a recent meeting with the Express-News Editorial Board, LaHood sidestepped a question about the budgetary constraints being faced by Arizona’s state government due to its controversial school voucher program.

“I’m not going to kid you, I don’t have all the facts on that to answer that question right now,” said LaHood, who’s running for a district District 121, which includes Alamo Heights and a swath of North San Antonio.

Arizona faces an $835 million budget deficit this year, primarily from a massive 2023 tax cut and the cost of its voucher program, according to the Associated Press.

LaHood’s campaign manager, Sam Mayfield, was unavailable for immediate comment on the candidate’s meeting with the editorial board or whether he’s since come up to speed on the issue.

Abbott threw his support behind LaHood in March’s Republican primary to punish Steve Allison, a three-term GOP incumbent who voted against the governor’s $7 billion voucher bill. Abbott donated nearly $700,000 in ads to LaHood between Jan. 26 and Feb. 24, or 81% of the candidate’s total fundraising during that period, according to the Texas Tribune.

Even though LaHood ended up victorious in the primary, he only spoke briefly on vouchers at a late February rally attended by Abbott.

“Lastly, and most importantly, is our children, because right now, the left is targeting our children with DEI and woke propaganda,” LaHood said in the only school choice-related comments during his minute-long speech at the Angry Elephant Pub. “And then they want to tie our hands and not let parents exercise their right to do what’s best for their children, and sending them into schools that they need.”

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This article appears in Mar 20 – Apr 2, 2024.