Education

Gates Gets in the Race

By Amanda Jones — January 04, 2008 1 min read
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Bill Gates is leading the philanthropic educational crusade again—and this time it’s about political awareness. Bloomberg.com reports that the Gates’ foundation is donating $30 million to the bipartisan group Strong American Schools and their “Ed in 08” campaign, whose purpose is to make education a “top priority” in the presidential election.

According to Bloomberg.com, a Dec. 11 ABC News/Washington Post poll, in fact, reflects that only one percent of voters chose education as their overriding concern for the presidential campaign. “Ed in ‘08” is hoping the Gates’ financial support will change that. “The Gates name, the Gates brand, his commitment to philanthropy opens up lots of doors and avenues, based on their enormous amount of effort they put into improving schools,” said Strong American Schools Executive Director Marc Lampkin. A multimillion-dollar ad campaign targeting swing states and voting blocs including married women and Hispanics is planned for March, said “Ed in ‘08" Communications Director Chad Kolton.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Web Watch blog.