From Capitol To Campus

As the Advocate goes to press, the outcome of the 2000 Presidential race is still in doubt. But some things are already clear about the 107th Congress that will begin its work in January.

"The results of this election are a mandate to support and improve public schools and provide access to quality higher education," notes NEA President Bob Chase. "This mandate is one that should transcend the party lines that now dissect our nation's capital."

Chase said key election wins in House and Senate races signal great promise for a commitment to quality education at all levels . He hailed the potential in the newly elected bipartisan, pro-public education Senate.

In a number of states, Chase noted, NEA members made critical differences. NEA-endorsed Republican candidates Olympia Snowe in Maine and James Jeffords in Vermont won by wide margins.

NEA-endorsed Democratic winners include Mark Dayton in Minnesota, Debbie Stabenow in Michigan, Jean Carnahan in Missouri, Hillary Rodham Clinton in New York, and Bill Nelson in Florida.

Similar education victories were also won in House races. In Arkansas, NEA members worked hard to elect pro-education candidate Mike Ross to replace an incumbent, a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Education who repeatedly voted against education funding bills.

"From coast to coast, NEA members volunteered and made their voices heard in unprecedented numbers," summed up Chase. "I applaud the work of our 2.5 million members whose passion for quality education for all runs so deep."