Kimberly Yee behind Teresa Leyba Ruiz in Arizona superintendent of public instruction race

Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz had the early lead in Arizona’s superintendent of public instruction race over Republican Kimberly Yee, the state’s first returns on Election Day showed.

Leyba Ruiz held 55.3% of the counted votes (901,507) to Yee’s 44.6% (728,350).

The superintendent of public instruction heads the Arizona Department of Education and oversees the state’s K-12 public school system.

Yee, Leyba Ruiz debated ESA school vouchers, funding and teacher pay

Arizona voters chose between Yee, the state treasurer, and Leyba Ruiz, a longtime math teacher and former Glendale Community College president.

Their campaigns focused on school funding, teacher pay, academic achievement and oversight of Arizona’s empowerment scholarship accounts (ESAs), also known as the school voucher program.

Yee defeated incumbent Superintendent Tom Horne in July’s Republican primary. She supported ESAs while calling for stronger financial oversight. She also advocated for performance-based bonuses for teachers.

Leyba Ruiz, on the other hand, called for an audit of the voucher program. She also called for increased funding for public schools.

Despite their differences, both candidates said the ESA program should end automatic approval of purchases costing $2,000 or less.

Click here to see results come in from all the races in Arizona.

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