Overview
- Youngkin founded Empowering America’s Parents and on Wednesday announced a multimillion-dollar advertising blitz aimed at persuading about 20 states that have not adopted the federal tax-credit program to opt in.
- The Education Freedom Tax Credit lets taxpayers donate up to $1,700 to scholarship-granting organizations and claim a federal income tax credit when their state participates; the program formally starts in January 2027.
- The campaign will target persuadable suburban voters in battleground states including Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin based on internal polling that found low public awareness of the credit.
- Youngkin said the group will publicly praise governors who adopt the measure and call out those who refuse, a strategy that critics say could siphon money and oversight away from public schools.
- The launch raises political stakes by boosting Youngkin’s national profile and intensifying speculation about his role in the 2028 Republican field while drawing support from allies and opposition from teachers’ unions and education advocates.