Pathways to Purpose

Quote of the day, courtesy of Thomas Jefferson: "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

About these notes: Always Monday. Always short. Always free. Always about civil society’s future. At times, interesting. If someone forwarded this to you, subscribe here.

Whew! Over the past ten days, I met with several remarkable blue-state Governors — inspiring, problem-solving leaders. Standout conversations with Gretchen Whitmer (MI), Abigail Spanberger (VA), Mikie Sherrill (NJ), Matt Meyer (DE), Wes Moore (MD), Tina Kotek (OR), and Maura Healey (MA). The more voters hear from them, the better our chances of preserving democracy. Each benefiting from the effective, strategic Democratic Governors Association.

I’m a big fan of Jocelyn Benson, running to succeed Gretchen Whitmer as Michigan’s Governor. She’s currently the Secretary of State, with an impressive track record. This race matters enormously — MAGA’s John James would subvert MI’s election integrity in 2028. Complicating things: former Detroit mayor Mike Duggan is running in this plurality-wins race. Recent polls show Benson neck and neck with MAGA/James. To defend our democracy, support her here.

The dynamic Rob Sand has an excellent shot at becoming Iowa’s next Governor. Two statewide wins as State Auditor. Knocks your socks off in speeches and conversation. Remarkably, he’s received donations from more registered Republicans than any of the three R’s in their primary — and he’s running unopposed. A win here makes a huge national statement. Get your week off to an uplifting start by donating here.

In a hallway conversation, Rob, Jocelyn, and I talked about voting mechanisms. Almost all elections pit an R against a D in a divisive hate-filled campaign. Third-party candidates risk going down in history as ugly spoilers (thank you, Ralph Nader and Jill Stein). A few states have adopted civility-promoting ranked choice voting. Rob described the mechanism adopted by Fargo, ND. Vote for every candidate you approve of – the candidate with the most approvals wins. Naturally, incumbent R Gov Kelly Armstrong recently pushed through a statewide ban, fearing anything that lets principled conservatives show up on ballots. My book Aftermath (please pre-order here!) discusses voting algorithms – where math meets civics, logic meets creativity, inviting rigorous analysis of how best to serve democracy.

Last Wednesday in Richmond, VA, the remarkable Governor Abigail Spanberger delivered opening remarks for the kick-off of our statewide campaign based on the new documentary Multiple Choice (trailer here). Broad enthusiasm from policymakers, businessfolks (the Virginia Chamber of Commerce is a sponsor), educators, parents, and students. Three core education priorities:

• Career-based learning for all kids — not just ‘those’ kids

• Internships and apprenticeships that fuel collaboration between schools, young adults, and mentors — and drive local economic growth

• Every K–12 graduate equipped with AI skills.

Already, 60 Virginia communities are in the pipeline. Our first community event in Williamsburg drew a standing-room-only crowd of 200.

For too long, Democrats’ education message has combined bad policy with toxic politics: “Of course you need a college degree to be a first-class citizen” and “Of course taxpayers should cover student loans gone wrong.” With the obligatory humble-brag: “I was the first in my family to go to college, and am a proud graduate of ____.” But in America, just 12% of young adults finish college and secure a job that requires a college degree. Yet our K12 system’s overarching goal is preparing kids for college. The math of the funnel is already ugly. And AI will make it far worse for college grads trained to carry out knowledge-worker assignments.

But things are changing. Parents, policymakers, and educators are excited about aligning what’s studied in school with what’s needed in life. Historically, the Republican Party embraced CTE, internships, and apprenticeships. Case in point: Wyoming’s Mark Gordon. Encouragingly, many Democratic Governors are calling for these priorities. On June 3rd, I’m doing a DC event with the New Democrat Coalition around their support for more career-based learning in our schools.

AI will disrupt labor markets as it fuels nasty disinformation. With the right leadership and strong grassroots support, we have the opportunity – and imperative – to transform K12 education. To futureproof our kids and communities for the Age of AI. Those who dawdle will be in a world of hurt. Those who lead will create pathways to purpose and prosperity.

Meanwhile, more chaos, cruelty, and corruption from 45/47. Having told NATO to pound sand, he’s now begging other nations to help the U.S. protect oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. While he threatens to shut down media critical of his ill-conceived war of choice. Meanwhile, the one person who could serve as the respected Democratic Party leader as we fight to preserve America’s ‘life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness’ is . . .

Nervously,

Ted