Education Drives State and Federal Elections in 2022

Politically charged education issues roiled the 2022 races for seats on state boards of education, yet none of the boards flipped partisan control. However, majority parties expanded their representation on boards in Colorado, Kansas, and Utah so far. Of the 63 seats on the ballot for 12 state boards, 35 incumbent candidates were reelected.

Redistricting affected state board elections. Colorado voters had two new seats on the ballot, including a new eighth congressional district and an at-large seat. Kansas voter district boundaries shifted following passage of a senate bill to redraw the districts after decades of population shifts. However, this did complicate matters for some incumbents in running again in their districts. New district boundaries in Texas resulted in all 15 state board seats being on the ballot this year. Ohio and Utah also saw new state board district maps, which pitted some incumbent board members against each other in Utah.

In 36 governors races, voters mostly favored incumbents. All gubernatorial incumbents on the ballot won reelection, aside from Nevada, where Republican Joe Lombardo ousted Gov. Stephen Sisolak. Nine newcomers were elected in total, with political parties flipping in Arizona, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Nevada. In all four, the governor appoints the state board of education. …