{{short description|American politician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Use American English|date=June 2024}} {{infobox officeholder | name = Jennifer McCormick | image = Jennifer McCormick in 2019.png | caption = McCormick in 2019 | alt = Jennifer McCormick - 2024 Indiana Gubernatorial Candidate | office = 44th Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction | governor = Eric Holcomb | term_start = January 9, 2017 | term_end = January 11, 2021 | predecessor = Glenda Ritz | successor = ''Position abolished''<br>Katie Jenner (as Secretary of Education) | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic (2021–present) | other_party = Republican (before 2021) | spouse = Trent McCormick | children = 1 | education = Purdue University (BA)<br />Ball State University (MA)<br />Indiana State University (EdS, PhD) | website = {{URL|https://www.mccormickforgov.com/|Campaign website}} }} '''Jennifer McCormick''' is an American politician and educator who served as the 44th and last Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. Formerly a Republican, she unseated the Democratic incumbent Glenda Ritz in the 2016 election and served one term. Switching to the Democratic Party in 2021, she was their nominee for governor of Indiana in 2024 losing to Republican nominee Mike Braun.<ref>{{cite news|url =https://apnews.com/article/indiana-governor-jennifer-mccormick-democrat-c8fb434d89a5d6500f29007adfabd3ff|title = Ex-Indiana schools chief McCormick enters governor's race|work = Associated Press|date = May 4, 2023|access-date = May 4, 2023|last = Davies|first = Tom}}</ref>
==Biography== McCormick began her career as a special education teacher. She later worked as a middle school language arts teacher from 1996 to 2004. Then she became principal of Yorktown Elementary School in 2004. In 2007, she became the assistant superintendent of Yorktown Community schools and served in that position until she was selected as superintendent in 2010. She serves on the boards for Ivy Tech East Central Region, the Indiana Association of School Business Officials, and Delaware County Youth Salutes. In 2014, she was invited to the National Connected Superintendents Summit at the White House in Washington D.C.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Jennifer_McCormick|title=Jennifer McCormick - Ballotpedia|publisher=}}</ref> In June 2021, McCormick announced that she had officially switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/extra/news/former-indiana-gop-schools-chief-changes-party-affiliation-to-democratic/article_9ab349aa-1891-5890-a146-56a329e4804a.html|title=Former Indiana GOP schools chief changes party affiliation to Democratic|access-date=February 15, 2023|archive-date=June 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628110046/https://www.mdjonline.com/neighbor_newspapers/extra/news/former-indiana-gop-schools-chief-changes-party-affiliation-to-democratic/article_9ab349aa-1891-5890-a146-56a329e4804a.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==State Superintendent== ===Election=== McCormick was chosen by the Indiana Republican Party as the nominee for Superintendent of Public Instruction on June 11, 2016. At her convention speech, McCormick said Indiana must continue to reject national Common Core learning standards. She said "days of reckless testing must end" and that she knows what it takes to recruit the best teachers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fox59.com/2016/06/11/indiana-gop-pick-nominees-for-attorney-general-and-state-school-superintendent/|title=Indiana GOP pick nominees for Attorney General and State School Superintendent|date=11 June 2016|publisher=}}</ref> McCormick and Ritz had one debate on October 17, 2016, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/ritz-mccormick-to-debate-for-state-superintendent-race|title=Ritz, McCormick To Debate For State Superintendent Race|date=6 October 2016|publisher=}}</ref> McCormick defeated Ritz for the position of Superintendent on November 8, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/11/08/election-results-2016-indiana-superintendent-of-public-instruction-winner/93241374/|title=Republican challenger McCormick wins over Ritz|publisher=}}</ref>
===Tenure=== thumb|Jennifer McCormick at Bloomfield High School during the final Workplace Simulation Project Day McCormick ran as a Republican candidate for Indiana superintendent of public instruction. She defeated Dawn Wooten and won the Republican nomination at the state party convention on June 11. McCormick defeated incumbent Glenda Ritz in the Indiana superintendent of schools election. The theme of her campaign was to remove politics from education and that the superintendent should again work in tandem with the Department of Education. It also stated including support for improving the current state assessment program and providing teachers with quality tools to enhance instruction. A primary responsibility for the superintendent will be to implement the Every Student Succeeds Act, a federal education law that replaces the No Child Left Behind Act signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/republican-mccormick-ousts-ritz-to-win-state-superintendent-race|title=McCormick Ousts Ritz To Win State Superintendent Race|first=Peter|last=Balonon-Rosen|date=8 November 2016|publisher=}}</ref>
==2024 gubernatorial race== {{main|2024 Indiana gubernatorial election}} In May 2023, McCormick announced that she would enter the 2024 race for Indiana Governor as a Democrat.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2023/05/04/jennifer-mccormick-governor-democrat|title = Ex-state schools superintendent Jennifer McCormick joins Indiana governor's race as Democrat|access-date=2023-05-04}}</ref> In the November general election she lost to Republican nominee and U.S. Senator Mike Braun.
==Personal life== McCormick is married to Trent, a public school science teacher and wrestling coach.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/175286/jennifer-mccormick|title = The Voter's Self Defense System}}</ref> They have one son; he attended the United States Military Academy.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/superintendent/mccormick-bio-shortened-2.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2017-08-08 |archive-date=2017-08-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808202502/http://www.doe.in.gov/sites/default/files/superintendent/mccormick-bio-shortened-2.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Electoral history== {| class="wikitable" |+2016 Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction election<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Indiana_Superintendent_of_Schools_election,_2016|title=Indiana Superintendent of Schools election, 2016 - Ballotpedia|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.in.gov/apps/sos/election/general/general2016?page=office&countyID=-1&officeID=40&districtID=-1&candidate=|first= |last= |title=Election Results|work=in.gov|date=November 8, 2016}}</ref> ! Candidate ! Party ! Popular vote ! % |- | Jennifer McCormick | {{party shading/Republican}} | Republican | 1,423,042 | 53.0% |- | Glenda Ritz | {{party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | 1,240,474 | 47.0% |- |} {| class="wikitable" |+2024 Indiana gubernatorial election<ref>{{Cite web |title=Indiana Election Results - Offices |url=https://enr.indianavoters.in.gov/site/index.html |access-date=2024-12-29 |website=in.gov}}</ref> ! colspan="5" |Candidate ! colspan="3" |Party ! colspan="4" |Popular vote ! colspan="2" |% |- | colspan="5" |Mike Braun | colspan="3" {{party shading/Republican}} | Republican | colspan="4" |1,566,081 | colspan="2" |54.4% |- | colspan="5" |Jennifer McCormick | colspan="3" {{party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic | colspan="4" |1,183,741 | colspan="2" |41.1% |- | colspan="5" |Donald Rainwater | colspan="3" {{party shading/Libertarian}} | Libertarian | colspan="4" |129,781 | colspan="5" |4.5% |- | colspan="5" |Christopher Ryan Stried | colspan="3" |Write-in | colspan="4" |52 | colspan="5" |0.0% |}
==Awards== *Outstanding Contributor to Education Award from the Muncie Delaware County Chamber of Commerce *2013: Person of the Year, Yorktown Chamber of Commerce
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{commons category}} *[https://www.mccormickforgov.com/ Jennifer McCormick for Governor] campaign website {{CongLinks|votesmart=175286}}
{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Tony Bennett}} {{s-ttl|title=Republican nominee for Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction|years=2016}} {{s-non|reason=Last}} |- {{s-bef|before=Woody Myers}} {{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Governor of Indiana|years=2024}} {{s-inc|recent}} |- {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Glenda Ritz}} {{s-ttl|title=Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction|years=2017–2021}} {{s-aft|after=Katie Jenner|as=Secretary of Education of Indiana}} {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McCormick, Jennifer}} Category:Ball State University alumni Category:Educators from Indiana Category:American women educators Category:Indiana Republicans Category:Indiana State University alumni Category:Living people Muncie Category:Politicians from Indianapolis Category:Purdue University alumni Category:Superintendents of public instruction of Indiana Category:Women in Indiana politics Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Indiana Democrats Category:21st-century American women politicians Category:21st-century Indiana politicians Category:Candidates in the 2024 United States elections