The American Federation for Children, which joined its political affiliates and allies to spend $9 million in the 2022 election season to back political candidates supporting school choice, is launching a super PAC called AFC Victory Fund to target state legislators who oppose school choice for students.

The organization states that in 2022, it succeeded in 277 out of 368 races, “a 75% success rate that included the defeat of at least 40 anti-school choice incumbents.”

“Coming off our best election cycle ever, the tectonic plates have shifted decisively in favor of educational freedom, and we’re just getting started,” AFC CEO Tommy Schultz celebrated. “With AFC Victory Fund, we are taking our work to the next level, intending to invest at least $10 million in state-level races to ensure the interests of parents are represented at ballot boxes in key districts from coast to coast. With $6 million already committed, we are shaping up to have our best cash position ever ahead of the primary season.

“If you’re a candidate or lawmaker who opposes school choice and freedom in education – you’re a target,” he continued. “If you’re a champion for parents – we’ll be your shield. Especially when we see news that even teachers unions bosses are choosing private schools for their own kids, we are motivated to ensure all families have those options available for their own children, not just for the elected or politically connected.”

Ryan Cantrell, the organization’s director of government affairs, told The Washington Examiner:

There is endless amounts of money that the unions have to fight to keep school choice from expanding even further, but that’s why AFC is excited about this [PAC] because it gives us more flexibility, it gives us more ability to have an impact on some of those places where the union grip is still too strong. This structure is going to allow us to scale up and be even more nimble, be more effective, than we have been previously.

“Republicans, Democrats, independents, all agree that parents should have more options for their kids,” he continued. “And so that’s what we’re really trying to seize on right now — the majority of parents really want to see this happen.”

In 2020, as he was running for president, Joe Biden said, “When we divert public funds to private schools, we undermine the entire public education system. We’ve got to prioritize investing in our public schools, so every kid in America gets a fair shot. That’s why I oppose vouchers.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that his state has already won the debate against California ahead of his upcoming debate later this year against California Governor Gavin Newsom.

DeSantis made the remarks during an interview with Newsmax while discussing a recent poll that showed former President Donald Trump blowing out President Joe Biden in a hypothetical rematch in 2024.

“Just understand, the media, if [Trump] ends up being the nominee, they will not be putting polls out like that,” DeSantis said. “It’ll be the opposite. I mean, they use this to juice a narrative. I think people were showing that that poll had Trump beating Biden with under 35 by 20 points. No Republican has ever won that. So when you see that, you wonder, okay, what are they trying to do?”

“I think they’re trying to do two things. I think the corporate press does want Trump to be the nominee. I think you see that in the coverage, I think you see it how they attack me,” he continued. “But I also think they’re trying to get the Democrats to dislodge Biden. They want to show that Biden is weak, and they would like to see a Newsom or somebody else. So I think when the corporate press is doing this, I think people should take it with a grain of salt.”

DeSantis was then asked if he thought Democrats were going to nominate someone else in 2024 like Newsom.

“Well, that’s why he said he would debate me, so I said, let’s do it,” he said. “I think it’s an important debate for the country. Not like saying who’s better, Florida or California, because that debate is over because people have voted with their feet. They’ve left California and come to Florida, not the other way around. He has lost massive amounts of population. No governor in California history has ever witnessed population loss at all on net.”

“The future for the country, for what the left would want to do, is just double down on the California policies,” he continued. “And so, I think it’s going to be an important debate. I think, I mean, I think he’s definitely angling for it. I think Biden, I don’t think Biden is going to step down willingly. I think it’s harder to dislodge somebody who’s an incumbent president than people assume it would be. But I think the Democrat establishment really, really is concerned, particularly if they have to run against somebody like me. I think that their view on Trump is that he will help energize their base to come out in ways that maybe some other Republicans won’t.”

DeSantis concluded by saying that it was “really embarrassing” to see Biden “floundering on the world stage.”

WATCH:

“It’s an important debate for the country,” @RonDeSantis says about his November debate with Gavin Newsom.

It’s not about “who's better, Florida or California, because that debate is over…People have voted with their feet. They've left California and come to Florida, not the… pic.twitter.com/4II3LbXdjA

— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) September 25, 2023