The Phase II ad buy targets the highly competitive governor’s races in Georgia, Iowa and Nevada, where Youngkin says voters need to know where the candidates stand on the Education Freedom Tax Credit (EFTC), a program that provides “freedom scholarships” for K‑12 students.
The EFTC, embedded in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, offers a 100 percent federal tax credit to donors who contribute up to $1,700 a year to scholarship‑granting organizations, which then distribute the funds as tuition assistance, tutoring, after‑school programs or transportation for public‑school students.
Youngkin, who helped design the credit, told The Washington Post that the program “opens up the opportunity for families and students to make choices about their educational freedom or future,” adding that it lets families decide whether to stay at their current school, switch to a private school, or seek supplemental tutoring.
Last month the group launched Phase I of the campaign, buying ads in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – all battleground states with Democratic governors – to raise awareness of the credit before the upcoming elections.
According to data from the Federation for Children, 31 states have either opted into the EFTC or signaled intent to do so, while 20 states and the District of Columbia, most of which are run by Democrats, have not yet joined. A few Democratic governors, including Colorado’s Jared Polis and New York’s Kathy Hochul, have publicly backed the program despite opposition from teachers’ unions.
Youngkin warned that governors who have not opted in are “being pressured or bullied by the national teachers unions,” and he emphasized that the credit does not divert money from public‑education budgets. He said the program’s biggest hurdle is a lack of public awareness.
Roughly 90 percent of American schoolchildren could qualify for the scholarships if their states remain in the program, but continued participation will depend on the outcomes of the upcoming gubernatorial elections and whether newly elected governors choose to keep the credit in place.