Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barney Frank, and…Lisa Murkowski?

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Anti-Reform Teachers Union Endorses Senator Murkowski Anchorage, Alaska. -- Senator Lisa Murkowski recently announced on her website that she has achieved the dubious distinction of becoming the only incumbent Republican in the U.S. Senate to win the endorsement of the nation's largest teachers union -– the National Education Association.

With this honor, Senator Murkowski joins such political figures as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Representative Barney Frank who have also received 'A' ratings from the anti-reform teacher's union.

"The NEA is so far to the left that even the Obama Administration's education policies like expanding charter schools and teacher performance pay have come under fire from this group," stated Miller campaign spokesman Randy DeSoto. "The fact that Lisa Murkowski received both an endorsement and an 'A' rating from the NEA speaks volumes about her liberal voting record."

A story on NEA's endorsements in the Washington Post (October 6) noted, "Critics of the union say that it stands for the status quo in education and against innovation." The story goes on to say, "In dozens of targeted races, most of the union's recommended candidates are Democrats. But NEA officials said they are backing selected Republicans who have supported their causes, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)...."

For the 2010 election cycle, the NEA has endorsed 316 candidates in House and Senate races. 303 of the endorsed candidates (96 percent) are Democrats; just 13 (4 percent) are Republicans.

Among the many votes that earned Senator Murkowski an 'A' rating from NEA was a vote to kill the popular "Opportunity Scholarship Program" in Washington, D.C., which allowed disadvantaged students to leave failing public schools and attend more academically rigorous and safer private schools.

DeSoto also stated he was curious about why the NEA would choose to back a write-in candidate over Democratic Party nominee Scott McAdams. "We certainly have our differences with Scott McAdams on the issues, but his educational credentials cannot be disputed," said DeSoto. "Mr. McAdams has served as the president of the Alaska Association of School Boards, he's a former member of the Sitka School Board, and he's currently the Director of Community Schools for the Sitka School District. We can only conclude that Lisa Murkowski's anti-reform voting record back in D.C. was more attractive to the NEA than Mr. McAdams' hands-on experience."

TEXT CREDIT: Joe Miller for US Senate | PO Box 72838 | Fairbanks, AK 99707-2838 | Phone: 907-452-8559