PSEA President: Elections put country back on track

For further information contact:
Wythe Keever, PSEA Assistant Communications Director
717-255-7107

“Voters spoke clearly on November 4: it’s time to put the country back on the right track,” according to the president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association.

“The elections show that voters in Pennsylvania and the entire country are ready for the change that Barack Obama promised throughout the campaign,” PSEA President James P. Testerman said. “PSEA members supported Obama because of his positions on issues important to all Americans.”

Testerman said the elections highlight the importance of citizen involvement.

“In each election cycle, the question is often asked: why is PSEA involved in politics,” he said. “The answer is simple: decisions affecting public education and the lives of our members are made by elected officials at every level, from the school board to Congress and the White House.

“PSEA, following a careful screening process conducted by members, recommended a slate of candidates for these offices who will do what's right for our membership, public education, the middle class and working people. I’m pleased to report that in our recommendations for statewide offices, Congress and the White House, candidates PSEA members supported were successful.”

That includes Barack Obama for President; Tom Corbett for Attorney General; Jack Wagner for Auditor General; Robert McCord for State Treasurer; and Congressional and legislative candidates.

“I’m very proud of our members who understood the importance of this election and responded in overwhelming numbers,” Testerman said. “PSEA members volunteered their time to assist in campaign efforts for Obama and other candidates, and gave generously to the Obama campaign and to PSEA’s Political Action Campaign for Education (PACE).”

Testerman added, “As President-elect Obama said on the campaign trail, ‘One voice can inspire and change the mood of a room, can inspire and change the mood of a city, can inspire and change the mood of a state, can inspire and change the mood of a country, and can inspire and change the mood of the world.’ In this election, our members lent their voices and their actions to become one voice.

“This election demonstrates what our members can accomplish when we are united in an important cause. President-elect Obama will face many challenges as he takes office, none of which are greater than to revitalize our nation’s public schools. We stand ready to work with him and the Congress in that effort.”

With more than 187,000 members, PSEA represents one out of every 32 votes cast in Pennsylvania. When immediate family members are factored in, our number swells to more than 300,000, or one out of every 20 votes cast in the Keystone State in this election.

PSEA’s national affiliate organization, the National Education Association, is a huge voting bloc with 3.2 million members. When NEA’s immediate family members are factored in, that audience grows to more than 5 million potential voters.