Poll shows unease among GOP voters
REPUBLICAN lawmakers gambled this year that voters have embraced an “end justifies the means” attitude toward teacher pay raises, and Oklahomans’ traditional opposition to tax increases and support for better fiscal management would ebb so long as teacher raises were provided.
Information gleaned from a recent poll of likely Republican primary voters in Oklahoma gives a hint of early voter response.
Conducted by Magellan Strategies, the poll found strong support for teacher pay raises, and for two specific measures approved during the teacher strike — a tax on online sales and expansion of gambling. (The poll did not ask voters about the main tax increases approved to fund teacher pay raises, including those on fuel, income and tobacco.)
A summary memorandum provides many voters’ responses to the question, “In your own words, being as descriptive as possible, please tell me what you think the most important issues and problems are that the Republican candidates for Governor should be addressing the most.” Many answers reflected voter frustration.
A female evangelical Republican, age 55-64, called for “consolidating school districts so that the teacher pay will not be brought about by taxes …” Another woman from the same cohort called for government audits and said lawmakers need to “stop raising taxes every time the wind blows up their skirt.”
A male, traditional Republican, age 18-34, said the next governor should have the following priorities: “Education reform. Spending reforms. Review of tax increase just passed.”
A female Trump voter, age 45-54, called for “funding teachers another way besides raising taxes.”
One male evangelical Republican over 65 said lawmakers “need to pay these teachers more,” but that the next governor must “control the spending of the Legislature. They have spent money for things that they shouldn’t have spent it on.”
A female, traditional Republican voter over 65 said it is “extremely important that they require some kind of output from the teachers. I agree with the raises but they expected nothing in return. Education needs to improve. Districts need to be consolidated. Students need to have better test scores. They need to do a better job if they receive more money.”
A female Trump Republican over age 65 said, “They should look for how many superintendents we have and manage the school money better.” Another in the same cohort said, “The money is there, they didn’t use it right, therefore they don’t need any more money to waste.”
A female evangelical Republican, age 35-44, said officials “need to make sure that everything else can get paid for without raising anymore taxes, since obviously the money that we already give to the government is spent unwisely.”
Such answers were routine, particularly among the most loquacious respondents. This doesn’t mean no poll takers voiced support for tax increases — several did. And many individuals provided short answers — “Education. Taxes.” — that make their broader views difficult to discern.
This is just one poll, but it suggests many Republicans who support teacher pay raises are upset by the lack of reform or meaningful spending restraint elsewhere. Starting with June’s primaries, we’ll learn if GOP lawmakers’ focus on teacher pay, to the detriment of other issues, was politically smart or not.