DES MOINES, Iowa – I wanted to draw your attention to an interesting article in The Washington Times.

Here is an excerpt:

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a Republican, cites opposition to Common Core as a key reason for her endorsement of state Rep. Chris McDaniel over incumbent Sen. Thad Cochran in Mississippi’s hotly contested Republican Senate primary. Former Oklahoma state House Speaker T.W. Shannon, a Republican, says Obama administration pressure on states to adopt Common Core “is a prime example of why I’m running for the Senate.”

Republican David Brat, the Virginia college professor who rocked the political world last week with his primary victory, went after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor for not fighting hard enough to stop the Common Core reforms.

“I am absolutely opposed to Common Core and top-down education,” Mr. Brat told the conservative website Tavern Keepers days before the primary. “I’m a teacher. I’m in the classroom every day and the teachers, you have to trust your teachers.”

For Maryland Republican Charles “Bud” Nason, the fight to stop Common Core is the centerpiece of his race for a seat on the Carroll County Board of Education. Mr. Nason, one of eight candidates, has teamed up with two fellow challengers, Republicans George Harmening and Jim Roenick, as a bloc committed to rolling back Common Core in the county’s schools.

Read the rest.

Then you have a contested primary in Oklahoma for that state’s school chief.  I’ve heard Common Core mentioned by numerous candidates leading up to the primary in Iowa on June 3rd.  It was certainly an issue in the primary in our U.S. Senate race, as well as, Congressional races.  I’m not so sure how much of an impact the issue will make in the general election in those races.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s support of Common Core (regardless of what his campaign surrogates say and his executive order) has put a strain on his relationship with the base.  He easily won his primary (Common Core was an issue, but his challenger was steamrolled due to lack of name ID, money, etc.).  Branstad, who has an RCP poll average under 50%, could find his greatest threat, I believe, in the general election.  Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Lee Hieb who is making Common Core opposition a cornerstone of her campaign has potential of peeling away some of Branstad’s base (Iowa Republicans just approved an anti-Common Core plank at their state convention).  If that happens then the likely scenario is that his Democratic challenger State Senator Jack Hatch (D-Des Moines) could pull off an upset win which wouldn’t be a win for Common Core opposition either.

We may see more momentum in the down ballot races.

Like what we saw when twenty-one Common Core opponents won their school board races in Long Island.  Alabama State School Board elections saw Common Core advocates have to spend a lot of money and then “soften their message” and they still barely won.  There have been gains in some State Senate and State House primary races.

Needless to say this issue will be sticking around.

Authored by Shane Vander Hart