Tony Bennett Donors have Financed 90 Percent of McCormick's Campaign
08/16/2016
An analysis of superintendent of public instruction candidate Jennifer McCormick’s most recent campaign finance report reveals that 90 percent of her campaign contributions have come from funders of former Superintendent Tony Bennett.
McCormick is the Republican nominee for superintendent facing democratic incumbent, Glenda Ritz, this fall.
In the last reporting cycle, McCormick’s campaign raised $121,478, of which $109,400 came directly from donors to Bennett’s campaign.
McCormick’s top donors this cycle are from big names in the education reform movement, including charter school owner Christel DeHaan, who’s charter schools were involved in a grade changing scandal that caused Bennett to resign as Florida’s state superintendent. DeHaan gave McCormick’s campaign $75,000.
McCormick’s second largest donations came from Fred Klipsch and his PAC, Hoosiers for Quality Education, who gave McCormick’s campaign a combined $20,000. Hoosiers for Quality Education gave McCormick an additional $20,000 in the current reporting cycle. Bennett also has ties with the education reform PAC.
McCormick and Bennett share more than just donors who support corporate education “reform.” The two have been linked since Bennett was state superintendent. Bennett went as far as to praise McCormick by name in his 2012 state of education address.
As Chalkbeat pointed out in January, McCormick’s campaign announcement was attended by lobbyists from groups that “supported Tony Bennett, or have been critical of Ritz: Stand For Children, the Institute for Quality Education and the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.
Voters will decide whether to return to the Tony Bennett era or give Glenda Ritz another term this November.