Butterfly Effect

02.28.16 5:45 PM ET

Marco Rubio Courts the Homeschool Vote

With just days left before Super Tuesday, Marco Rubio headed to tiny Patrick Henry College in Virginia to court a group of voters with a powerful network that could help deliver him a win in the state on Tuesday.
PURCELLVILLE, Va. — When Marco Rubio parachuted into the center of the modern American homeschooling movement today, he got a loving welcome—along with some stark reminders that not all devout Christians are Rubio converts.
It’s another indicator of the risks and rewards to be found in reaching out to some of the country’s most devoted and driven voters.
Purcellville is home to Patrick Henry College, a Christian school an hour outside of Washington, D.C.—with just 279 students, it’s hardly the place you would expect a presidential campaign to visit, especially one short on time before Super Tuesday.
But the school is the intellectual capital of the American homeschooling community, representing 1.77 million students across the country, and as much as , somewhere between three to four percent of all school-age children nationwide.
And while those who were homeschooled—and their families—represent a comparatively small slice of the Republican electorate, they’re disproportionately more likely to vote, volunteer and participate in the political process.
Individuals who were homeschooled are far more involved in politics, being significantly more likely to contribute money for a political cause, work in the field, attend a public meeting or vote, according to a study by the Home School Legal Defense Association.
“Twenty years ago, homeschooling was illegal in some parts of the country,” said Will Estrada, a director at the association and the co-chair of ‘Homeschoolers for Cruz.’ Estrada compared it to the political participation of the LGBT community—“they’re far more politically active than other segments because they remember what it was like when it was illegal to be gay,” he said. “Homeschoolers are the same way.”
Patrick Henry College in particular is known for its outsized political sway and a reputation for activism: a small institution of just 279 students, the college’s student body landed approximately as many internships in the Bush era White House as Georgetown University, a college of nearly 18,000.
So Rubio wasn’t just courting individual votes at Patrick Henry—he was hoping for the butterfly effect that the politically active homeschooling community can activate, driving turnout and exciting volunteers.
Advertisement
 
The Florida senator paid homage to the school’s reputation for political involvement by visiting Sunday afternoon, before a cheering crowd that numbered in the thousands, telling them that he would lead a federal government that wouldn’t interfere with homeschooling.
Nearly 80 percent of the students at the college have been homeschooled at one time or another, Patrick Henry College president Jack Haye told The Daily Beast.
“As far as having a concentration of students who have been homeschooled at some point, Patrick Henry is the place,” he said.
Other candidates—like Ben Carson and Ted Cruz—have courted the home school community in other states, none of the other candidates reached out to do a rally at Patrick Henry College.
And while there is a 25-student strong ‘Students for Rubio’ club, there is no equivalent group for Republican contenders Cruz or Donald Trump.
The outreach—or relative lack thereof—could have a significant impact on Tuesday, when the Virginia primaries are held, as polls show a tight race between Cruz and Rubio for second place in the state.
Get The Beast In Your Inbox!
By clicking "Subscribe," you agree to have read the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy