Education in the 2022 Gubernatorial Elections: Political Priorities among Candidates and Winners. Issue Brief

Although most education policy decisions are made at the state level, America has been having a national debate over the future of our schools for the last several years. Arguments have raged over COVID-related closures and the resultant student learning loss, Critical Race Theory, school funding, parental choice, college debt, and more. The 2022 gubernatorial campaign and election cycle provided an opportunity to better understand whether these national issues and narratives match those at the state level. Using campaign websites to collect information on the education priorities of all 72 major-party candidates, this report discusses the educational agendas of gubernatorial candidates and shows the differences between incumbents and nonincumbents, Republicans and Democrats, and candidates in red, blue, and swing states.