National School Choice Leader Eviscerates Senate Candidate Sam Page Over School Choice
Yesterday, Corey DeAngelis, the preeminent leader on school choice issues on the right, called out N.C. Senate candidate Sheriff Sam Page over Page’s anti school choice platform.
In an exclusive interview with the Blue Ridge Times, Corey DeAngelis said:
“Sam Page should switch parties. He is not a Republican if he wants to get rid of universal school choice in North Carolina. He’s siding with Randi Weingarten and the radical left teacher unions against President Trump and North Carolina parents.”
“He needs to read the room. He’s out of step with one of President Trump’s top education priorities, universal school choice.
“He’s trying to play both sides by saying he supports school choice when his education platform calls to scale it back substantially. North Carolina is not going back to picking winners and losers by targeting the school choice initiative only to certain students. All families deserve educational freedom.”
“Sam Page wants to rip away scholarships from families, just like the Democrats. He has no business trying to wedge himself between children and the school that best meets their needs. The money belongs to the families, not the government school system. It should follow their children to the school that aligns with their values.”
“Senator Berger is a leading champion for education freedom in the North Carolina Senate. Sam Page is being deceptive because he wants to side with liberal teachers’ unions but also knows that school choice is wildly popular with voters. He can’t have it both ways.”
Background on DeAngelis: Corey is a senior fellow at the American Culture Project. He has been labeled the “school choice evangelist” and “the most effective school choice advocate since Milton Friedman.” He holds a Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Arkansas and serves as a senior leader for several national organizations focused on school choice. He has been instrumental in pushing for universal school choice policies across the United States, most recently in Texas, helping oust anti-school choice Republicans.
Corey is not the only national figure taking note of Sam Page; this morning, David McIntosh, the President of Club for Growth, called out Sam Page for his anti-conservative agenda. McIntosh leads the Club for Growth, which engages in Republican primaries to promote conservative candidates.
Sam Page Responds:
In a now-deleted tweet, NC Senate Candidate Sam Page responded to DeAngelis, saying, “I respect Corey DeAngelis' opinions on School Choice on the national level, but my responsibility is to the people of North Carolina Senate District 26. His comments may grab attention online, but they don’t reflect the practical realities our families here in Rockingham and Guilford Counties… It is not ‘anti-School Choice’ for North Carolinians to expect accountability, transparency, and fairness in how we spend taxpayer dollars on education.”
Page sent a similar message to the Blue Ridge Times but has not responded to follow-up questions asking for specific examples in Rockingham and Guilford Counties of schools that need greater transparency or accountability, or whether he believes the government is in a better position to hold schools accountable than parents.
Berger Campaign Highlights Difference Between Trump and Page
In a press release, the Phil Berger Campaign for Senate highlighted the difference between Sam Page and President Trump on universal school choice. The release highlights President Trump’s comments saying, “I want every parent in America to send their child to public, private, charter, or faith-based school of their choice. The time for universal school choice has come. As we return education to the states, I will use every power I have to give parents this right.” This type of conservative agenda is exactly what North Carolina Republicans, with Senator Berger’s leadership, passed in 2023 with the Opportunity Scholarship Expansion.
Jack Mitchell, campaign manager for Berger said, “Sam Page would take a chainsaw to President Trump’s widely popular, universal school choice agenda after Phil Berger and North Carolina Republicans spent over a decade fighting the do-nothing left-wing establishment that’s failed our students. Sam Page aligns himself with far-left teachers’ unions, while Phil Berger is the workhorse driving the Trump agenda forward in North Carolina.”
