States

Over 170 Teachers Ran for State Office in 2018. Here’s What We Know About Them

By Daarel Burnette II, Madeline Will & Maya Riser-Kositsky — July 17, 2018 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

In a year defined by educator activism, there were large numbers of teachers running for office. At least 177 current teachers filed to run for state legislative seats in 2018, an original Education Week analysis found. At least 43 current teachers won their races. All of the candidates—and their party affiliations, school districts, subjects taught, and other relevant information—are included in this searchable database.

More on this database:

  • EdWeek limited this database to current teachers running for their state legislatures. In the aftermath of the statewide teacher strikes and protests this spring, we wanted to shine a light on the teachers who were seeking to join a body that determines their pay and other policies that directly affect their profession.
  • EdWeek collected the most data on candidates in Arizona, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and West Virginia—states that had recently seen significant teacher unrest.
  • We collected the information from July to November 2018 using a variety of sources, including teacher organizations, news reports, and direct submissions through an online form. This list may not be exhaustive.
  • EdWeek staff verified each candidate.

See Also

Jennifer Esau, center, an Oklahoma teacher who is running for a state Senate seat, talks with Sandra Yost in Claremore, Okla., as she and her 16-year-old daughter Isabelle, right, canvass her district for votes earlier this month.
Jennifer Esau, center, an Oklahoma teacher who is running for a state Senate seat, talks with Sandra Yost in Claremore, Okla., as she and her 16-year-old daughter Isabelle, right, canvass her district for votes earlier this month.
Brandi Simons/Education Week

Related Tags:

Reporting: Maya Riser-Kositsky, Madeline Will, and Daarel Burnette II
Design & Visualization: Maya Riser-Kositsky, Vanessa Solis

This database was originally published July 17, 2018, with the headline, “Over 100 Teachers Are Running for State Office. Here’s What We Know About Them”.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Managing AI in Schools: Practical Strategies for Districts
How should districts govern AI in schools? Learn practical strategies for policies, safety, transparency, as well as responsible adoption.
Content provided by Lightspeed Systems
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Unlocking Success for Struggling Adolescent Readers
The Science of Reading transformed K-3 literacy. Now it's time to extend that focus to students in grades 6 through 12.
Content provided by STARI
Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

States State Reading Laws Focus on K-3. What About Older Students Who Struggle?
Should lawmakers push reading legislation to address the needs of students beyond elementary grades?
8 min read
Students attend Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. Bow Memorial School is a middle school that has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in middle school students.
Though states have put an emphasis on reading intervention, most don't specify how to help students beyond grade 3. Older students may need more support on vocabulary development, or understanding how word parts convey meaning. Middle school students learn about suffixes at Bow Memorial School in Bow, N.H. on Oct. 29, 2025. The school has developed a systematic approach to addressing foundational reading gaps in grades 5-8.
Sophie Park for Education Week
States Are States Equipped to Track Students’ Paths From Classroom to Career?
Longitudinal data systems can answer critical questions about workforce priorities—if they're maintained.
4 min read
Photo of young female aircraft engineer apprentice at work.
E+
States 4 Education-Related Takeaways From This Week's Elections
How results from Tuesday could affect K-12 schools, and the trajectory of Trump's education policies.
5 min read
Democrat Jay Jones speaks on stage at an election night watch party for Democrat Abigail Spanberger after Jones was declared the winner of the Virginia attorney general's race Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Va.
Democrat Jay Jones speaks on stage after he was declared the winner of the Virginia attorney general's race Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Richmond, Va. As attorney general, Jones could join multistate coalitions of Democratic state attorneys general suing the Trump administration over its education policies.
AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough
States Ed. Dept. Scraps Blue Ribbon Schools Honor. Some States Launch Their Own Versions
The Trump admin. said it was axing the recognition "in the spirit of returning education to the states."
Gehring Academy of Science and Technology students attend an assembly on Nov. 22, 2024, to honor their achievement as a 2024 Blue Ribbon School.
Gehring Academy of Science and Technology students attend an assembly on Nov. 22, 2024, to honor the Las Vegas school's designation as a 2024 Blue Ribbon School. The Trump administration in August ended the U.S. Department of Education school recognition program that began in 1982 and has recognized public and private schools for academic achievement each year.
K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal