No warning Horne was blown on candidate

We spent so much time in recent months obsessing on the political candidates who might impact us grownups that we ignored – or completely forgot about – the children.

Shame on us.

And by “us” I mean ... me. Governor, senator, attorney general, secretary of state, they’re all really important.

But so, too, is superintendent of public instruction, and that race, between incumbent Kathy Hoffman and Tom Horne didn’t get nearly the attention the others did.

My bad.

At least in part.

The race is still in the too-close-tocall category, possibly heading for a recount, with Horne currently ahead, which can only be explained by too many of us not knowing about the candidates or not giving a hoot.

Hoffman, a Democrat, has been a quietly confident and competent educator and administrator, just the kind of person you want in that job.

Horne, a Republican, actually had the job for two terms in the early 2000s. He’s run what amounts to a MAGA-lite campaign, spreading scary nonsense about things like critical race theory, which isn’t taught in K-12 schools, ignorantly criticizing school closures owing to COVID-19 and more.

After his two terms at school superintendent Horne was elected as Arizona’s attorney general. Going into his second term, however, he was defeated in the primary by current AG Mark Brnovich, who was a political novice. How did that happen?

Essentially, Brnovich’s campaign told voters that investigations into Horne’s public conduct and controversies over his personal life made him unfit for a second term.

Which it did.

Horne’s loss was one of the very rare occasions when an incumbent in a top statewide office loses a primary.

“Arizona voters expect an attorney general with integrity and character, someone with convictions not only in the courtroom but in personal and family life,” Brnovich said afterwards.

What were the problems with Horne’s “integrity and character” that Brnovich was talking about?

For a time in those days Horne – the attorney general – was being investigated by the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office, the Arizona Solicitor General, the Citizens Clean Elections Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office and the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office.

A lot of that had to do with allegations that he used his public office staff to help run his campaign.

No criminal charges were filed but

Horne did pay a $10,000 fine to the state’s Citizens Clean Elections Commission to settle complaints of violating finance laws.

In addition to the elections inquiries, FBI reports suggest that in 2012 a married Horne was having an affair with an employee and was involved in the hitand-run of a parked vehicle. The accident was witnessed by FBI agents.

The entire episode was even seedier than that last paragraph suggests, but you get the idea.

So much so that then-U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake and then-Rep. Matt Salmon, Republicans, said Horne shouldn’t run for reelection. Then-Gov. Jan Brewer, also a Republican, endorsed Brnovich. Then-Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, also a Republicans and now on the Arizona Supreme Court, supported Brnovich as well and called Horne a “disgrace.”

Now, Horne might get the job of the state schools superintendent, which is all about educating kids.

And for sure there is a lesson here — for grown-ups, anyway.

It is: Do your homework.