Empowering Bipartisan Opponents of Public Education

Last week, we discussed Empower Mississippi and their efforts to destabilize Mississippi's public education system. This group's out-of-state money has already poured tens of thousands of dollars into Republican legislative campaigns across the state to defeat supporters of public education.

While Empower has focused most of its energy at defeating Republicans who support public education, they have also given money to a Democratic legislator who has helped push along their anti-public school agenda.

Rep. Deborah Dixon 

Meet Rep. Deborah Dixon (D-Raymond). This first-term member has the distinction as being the only co-sponsor to the 2013 charter school bill that was signed by Governor Bryant. Dixon has been an ally of Republican House Speaker Philip Gunn, as he passes bills to hurt public education. For instance, Dixon supported the Republicans' bill to slash funding to public education earlier this year. 

To reward Dixon for her assistance, Empower and its anti-public school funds donated $2,500 to Dixon's campaign while giving her a grade of A for her votes against public education. According to Dixon's finance report, she accepted their anti-public school money.

You can be a Republican (or Deborah Dixon) or you can support public education, but you cannot do both.