MAGA supporters and liberals agree on school choice

A new survey has found that those who identify as MAGA supporters and as liberal/progressive have found common ground on school choice policy.

Conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of EdChoice, the spring 2026 poll asked respondents nationwide for their opinion on education savings accounts (ESAs). Defined as a government-authorized savings account with restricted but multiple uses for educational purposes — including school tuition, tutoring, and therapies for students with special needs, to name a few — ESAs drew strong support from both ends of the political spectrum. Seventy-seven percent of self-identified MAGA supporters and 75 percent of liberals and progressives said they support the policy.

Those results suggest school choice may not be as politically divisive as it is often portrayed. When parents and voters understand what ESAs actually do, the politics largely fall away.

American Experiment has found this to hold true in its polling results, as well. A majority of Minnesota Democratic voters (61 percent) support school choice, defined as giving “parents the right to use the tax dollars designated for their child’s education to send their child to the public or private schools which best serves their needs.” When asked specifically about ESAs, a plurality of Democrats (49 percent) back the policy.

Conservatives have long championed school choice as a vehicle for parental rights and market-based reform. But as I wrote here, the other side has had its fair share of advocates over the years — from civil rights leaders seeking alternatives for children trapped in failing public schools to progressive reformers viewing vouchers as a tool to fight poverty. School choice was even part of the Democratic Party’s national platform for two decades.

If liberals support school choice and ESAs at rates similar to MAGA voters, it raises an obvious question of who remains opposed to these policies and why.

Enter teachers’ unions, who have been among the most consistent and influential opponents of school choice in any form. Their arguments haven’t changed over the years, resting primarily on claims that such policies “weaken” the public school system, despite overwhelming evidence that shows the contrary. In fact, their opposition often appears more aligned with protecting their own institutional interests than with concern for student outcomes.

Teachers’ unions collectively spend tens of millions of dollars each election cycle backing candidates who oppose choice policies. Their influence inside the Democratic Party has historically been enough to keep elected officials in line even when their own constituents feel differently.

That disconnect may put a number of Democratic voters in an awkward position. Polling also consistently shows that black and Hispanic families — considered historically core Democratic constituencies — support school choice at rates that often exceed the general public.

Support for giving families more control over education funding extends across much of the political spectrum. Lawmakers should take notice. The question is whether elected officials will follow the preferences of the people they represent or continue taking their cues from union leadership. That answer may depend on whether voters choose to prioritize candidates not afraid to stand in support of the issue.