Hundreds of US teacher candidates shake up midterm elections

Teachers have been making their mark in the U.S. midterm elections, running in what may be unprecedented numbers and empowered by the successful #RedForEd protests for higher teacher pay and increased school spending.
After years of dense education debates over teacher evaluations and the Common Core standards, analysts say the teachers’ complaints about outdated textbooks and teacher shortages are resonating.
Teacher candidates from both major parties are on ballots from school board to governor, though most are Democrats.
Their candidacies represent a wild-card outgrowth of the #RedForEd protests in Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
Races to watch include the contest for public education superintendent in Arizona.
School speech therapist Kathy Hoffman is running against three-term California congressman Frank Riggs, the founding president of an online charter school.