This article reports how the stakes are getting higher for the various states as the 2006 state elections are approaching this fall. This article also discusses how the future of education policy will be heavily influenced by the votes cast in the November elections. Even with the heightened federal role under the No Child Left Behind Act, state lawmakers, governors, and state superintendents still are central in deciding how much money schools get, how to get well-qualified teachers into the classroom, and what students must do to graduate. It is at the state level where policies aimed at educational improvement--whether high-stakes testing, universal preschool, or new forms of school choice--are most often conceived, advanced, and duplicated. This article also explains why the success and failure of education ideas are hinged on who will be the elected governor.