Choice Words (and Numbers)

School Choice an Hispanic Opening for Texas GOP?

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal carried a story on the opportunity John McCain has to make in-roads with Hispanic voters: School choice. Money quotes...

Fifty-two percent of Hispanic voters have a favorable view of school choice, according to the poll, while only 7% had an unfavorable view. When asked about vouchers pecifically, 32% expressed a favorable opinion compared to 13% unfavorable.

Unexpected numbers for sure and definitely at odds with the teacher's lobby, one of the Democrats' core constituencies.

But where the poll really gets interesting is on school choice as an electoral issue: 65% of those surveyed reported that they would be more likely to support a candidate for office who supports school choice, including 35% who said they would be "much more likely." Only 19% said they would be less likely to vote for a pro-school choice candidate.

65% are more likely to support a candidate who supports school choice?!? That is a game-changing number.

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