Steve Cortes, president of the League of American Workers, said May 18 that Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs benefited from private schooling while opposing broader school choice access for families in the state.
“Katie Hobbs went to private school, then climbed into office and slammed the door behind her,” Cortes said. “That is not compassion. That is not accountability. That is elite hypocrisy in its purest, most hideous form. School choice for me, government monopoly for thee — what a scam.”
Cortes made the remarks amid ongoing debate over Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program and Hobbs’ stance on expanding school-choice policies, a dispute that has also drawn scrutiny over her private-school background, Grand Canyon Times reported.
Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program allows participating families to use state education funds for approved expenses such as private school tuition, tutoring, curriculum and other educational services. The program began with targeted eligibility but later expanded to universal eligibility, according to RAND Corporation.
Enrollment in Arizona’s ESA program has risen sharply in recent years, climbing from about 12,000 students in the 2021–22 school year to roughly 90,000 in 2024–25, with spending reaching approximately $886 million that year, based on RAND Corporation estimates.
In her fiscal 2026 budget proposal, Hobbs called for income-based limits on universal ESA eligibility, preserving full vouchers for families earning under $100,000 annually while reducing or eliminating eligibility above that threshold, according to reporting from the Arizona Capitol Times.
Steve Cortes is the founder and president of the League of American Workers and says the organization uses research and communications to influence public opinion and policy on behalf of American workers. Its issue areas include trade, immigration, legalized drugs, and homemakers, with Cortes leading what the group calls a pro-worker patriotic populist movement.
