Democrat Teresa "Terry" Leyba Ruiz was leading the race against Republican Kimberly Yee to be the next Arizona superintendent of public instruction by a sizeable margin after early mail-in ballots were counted Nov. 3.
Ruiz is a former educator and president of Glendale Community College, while Yee currently serves as Arizona state treasurer.
The race drew interest as many Arizonans eagerly await reforms to the state's controversial Empowerment Scholarship Account program, which is regulated by the Arizona Department of Education. The program allows families to use state taxpayer dollars for alternatives to public education.
The superintendent is the top education official in the state and is responsible for distributing state and federal education funds to counties and public school districts every year. They oversee the Arizona Department of Education and also sit on the State Board of Education. The Department of Education executes education policy under the instruction of the state superintendent.
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During the Republican primaries, Yee ousted incumbent Tom Horne, who was seeking a third term in office.
In the Democratic primaries, newcomer Ruiz defeated Brett Newby, who was also trying out his first stint in politics.
Much of the general election race was centered around the ESA program, which is controversial on both sides of the political aisle. While both Yee and Ruiz agreed it needed guardrails during a September debate, they disagreed on what that should look like.
The program has raised controversy on both sides of the political aisle. While both Yee and Ruiz agreed it needed guardrails during a September debate, they disagreed on what that should look like.
They have also clashed over policies regarding diversity, equity and inclusion and school resource officers.
Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz, left, and Republican Kimberly Yee are candidates for superintendent of public instruction.
Ruiz touts education background
Ruiz focused much of her campaign on her background in education, while describing Yee as a career politician. The two got into a spat when Yee filed a complaint with the Arizona Attorney General's Office over Ruiz's campaigning in public schools, where she has shot some of her content for social media.
Ruiz was raised in South Phoenix and attended school in Roosevelt Elementary School District and Phoenix Union High School District. She earned degrees from Northern Arizona University and Arizona State University.
Ruiz has taught math at the middle and high school levels in public schools. She later taught college math and became president of Glendale Community College.
Yee looks to extend political career
Yee currently serves as Arizona state treasurer. She was tapped by state Sen. Jake Hoffman, who is critical of Horne, to run in the superintendent race. Hoffman and Horne largely clashed over the Empowerment Scholarship Account program. Hoffman is also chair of the Arizona Freedom Caucus at the Legislature.
Yee is the first superintendent candidate endorsed by Turning Point Action, whose endorsed candidates had success during the July primary election.
Yee worked as a staff member for the Arizona Senate Education Committee in the 1990s, working on laws to expand school choice.
She was appointed to the Arizona House of Representatives in 2010 and served in the Arizona Senate from 2013-19. She ran for treasurer afterward and will complete her second term at the end of 2026. She briefly ran for governor in 2022 before exiting that race during the primary. In the 2022 general election, she received more votes than any candidate in a contested race on the statewide ballot.
