Kimberly Yee won the primary and is the party's nominee for the general election. Defeated incumbent Superintendent Tom Horne in the July 21, 2026 Republican primary, 53.2% to 46.8%. Faces Democratic nominee Teresa Leyba Ruiz in the November 3, 2026 general election.
Source: kold.com · Last verified: October 23, 2026
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Statement
Kimberly Yee is one of the most respected statewide leaders, currently State Treasurer, bringing 30 years of experience in K-12 education policy with an extensive background in school finance and fiscal accountability. A longtime advocate of school choice in Arizona, Kimberly began her career drafting laws giving families the freedom to attend schools outside of their residential zip code with open enrollment and charter schools. She believes parents should have the opportunity to select the education that best fits their child's unique needs and a pathway to academic success no matter where they live. She supports ALL forms of education, including public schools, charter schools, private schools, homeschools and tribal schools. Kimberly is a strong supporter of teachers as the daughter of a 38-year veteran public school teacher in Arizona. With student proficiency in reading and mathematics ranked at the 25th percentile, Arizona deserves better leadership in education. The current State Superintendent is asleep at the wheel. Kimberly's plan to bring back phonics-based reading instruction and traditional mathematics will ensure we get back to the basics, with a focus on real-world life skills in home economics and shop classes to encourage the trades, including vocational and workforce development. Visit www.KimberlyYee.com
Biography
Kimberly Yee, an Arizona native and the daughter of a public school teacher, has been Arizona State Treasurer since 2019 after serving in the Arizona House and Senate, where she chaired the Senate Education Committee. She has worked on K-12 and higher-education policy for about 30 years, including in two gubernatorial administrations and on the State Board for Charter Schools, and is a graduate of Pepperdine University with an M.P.A. from Arizona State University. A supporter of the Empowerment Scholarship Account program, she proposes a real-time payment system that would block non-educational purchases and opposes academic reporting requirements for ESA providers, citing student privacy laws. She says low math and reading proficiency is the top issue, favors stronger phonics instruction, wants school resource officers on every campus, and as treasurer has advocated a land-trust distribution rate of about 4.5%. Yee defeated incumbent Superintendent Tom Horne in the July 21, 2026 Republican primary, 53.2% to 46.8%, and faces Democrat Teresa Leyba Ruiz in the November 3, 2026 general election.
Past offices held
Positions
Issue Stances
Water Policy
No official stance on record.
Education Funding
SupportsYee supports Arizona's universal ESA program and proposes a real-time payment system that blocks non-educational purchases, ending automatic approval of purchases under $2,000. She opposes academic reporting requirements for ESA providers, citing student privacy laws, favors more phonics instruction, says too much funding goes to administration, and supports extending Prop. 123 with a lower land-trust distribution of about 4.5%.
"I don’t believe a government should tell a family what type of education that they should have for their child"
Border Security & Immigration
No official stance on record.
Housing Affordability
No official stance on record.
Election Integrity
SupportsYee voted to require political committees to submit lists of all petition circulators and criminal background checks, and supports restrictions on citizen initiatives as a fraud-prevention measure.
"Curb citizen initiatives to reduce fraud."
Healthcare Access
No official stance on record.
Public Safety & Criminal Justice
SupportsYee says she would ideally like school resource officers on every campus, which would require more legislative funding, and suggested adding other safety personnel such as retired police officers and juvenile corrections officers to schools.
Energy Policy
No official stance on record.
Economic Development & Jobs
No official stance on record.
Reproductive Rights
OpposesYee voted to require physicians to inform women that medication abortion may be reversible, and supports restricting health insurance exchanges from covering abortion except in cases of rape or incest.
"Doctors must tell women drug-induced abortion is reversible."
Transportation & Infrastructure
No official stance on record.
Government Spending & Taxation
SupportsYee frames ESA reform as a fiscal competence issue, arguing that money should move from administration overhead to classrooms and that questionable spending needs tighter oversight and controls.
Legislature
Legislative Voting Record
| Bill / Motion | Date | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| HB 2898 – 20x2020 Teacher Pay Increase | May 3, 2018 | Yes |
| HB 2158 – Income Tax Conformity with Federal TCJA | February 26, 2018 | Yes |
| SB 1487 – Legislative Override of Local Ordinances | March 9, 2016 | Yes |
| SB 1317 – Prop 123 Education Funding Settlement | May 1, 2015 | Yes |
| SB 1062 – Religious Freedom Business Exemption | February 20, 2014 | Yes |
| HB 2010 – Medicaid Restoration Act | June 13, 2013 | No |
| HB 2305 – Voter Registration and Election Reform | June 12, 2013 | Yes |
Ballot
Ballot Measure Stances
No ballot measure stances on file yet.
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