The nation’s largest teachers union plans to spend between $40 and $60 million in this year’s election cycle, two sources at the National Educational Association told BuzzFeed News.
On Monday, the American Federation of Teachers, which has about half the membership of the NEA, said it would spend about $20 million in the same time frame. Those numbers encompass all election spending, from Senate races down to local ballot measures.
While AFT President Randi Weingarten said they are spending more this year than they’ve spent in any cycle before, NEA Political Director Karen White said her union’s estimate is roughly on par for what they usually spend in non-presidential election years.
In an internal memo White sent last week to top NEA leaders, she wrote that education is “emerging as a top issue” in some of tighter gubernatorial races and in the country as a whole.