WASHINGTON — GOP former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s school-choice advocacy group is launching the next phase of its multimillion-dollar ad blitz in more key gubernatorial battleground states.
The ads — this time targeting highly competitive governor’s races in Georgia, Iowa, and Nevada — will aim to continue to raise awareness about the Education Freedom Tax Credit, or “freedom scholarships,” that help K-12 students pay for private school, as well as cover some tutoring, after-school programs or transportation costs for those in public school.
“It basically opens up the opportunity for families and students to make choices about their educational freedom or future,” said Youngkin, who helped design the program, to The Post.
“Everything from, do I want to stay at the current school I’m at, or do I want to go to to a different school, private school with tuition, or do I need incremental tutoring activities after school or weekend help,” he said.
The EFTC program, nestled in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, gives those who donate up to $1,700 annually to scholarship-granting organizations a 100% federal tax credit.
The organizations then give away the money through the “freedom scholarships.”
This current ad buy is phase II of the campaign.
Last month, Youngkin’s group, Empowering America’s Parents, previously rolled out an ad blitz in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — battleground states with Democratic governors.
“We have states like Nevada and Iowa and Georgia where the current governors have opted in, but in order for them to stay opted in following the governor’s election, the newly elected governors in each one of those states will have to continue to opt in,” Youngkin explained about the rationale behind phase II.
“I think it’s really important for voters as they head into the fall to understand where the respected candidates stand, and particularly in states where there is an election,” he said.
Roughly 90% of American schoolchildren across the country are estimated to be eligible for scholarships that benefit from the EFTC. But that is also contingent on states opting into the program.
To date, 31 states have either opted into the EFTC or expressed their intent to do so, according to data from the Federation for Children. The 20 — including DC — that haven’t are run by Democrats.
A handful of Democrats such as Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul have backed the program despite facing backlash from the teachers’ unions and other powerful groups.
“I do believe many governors who haven’t opted in, unfortunately, are being pressured or bullied by the national teachers unions,” said Youngkin, who was the first governor to choose to enter the program.
Youngkin stressed that the EFTC doesn’t take any money away from the public education budget.
One of the main dilemnas the credit system has faced is the lack of awareness about it, according to Youngkin.
“We found is that virtually everyone we spoke with polls show that this becomes a 70-30 issue with voters, 85-15 with women across the board, regardless of party, that they want this,” he explained.
