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Former Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn has withdrawn her nomination to serve in the No. 2 spot in the Trump Education Department after cultural conservatives mounted a campaign opposing her.
The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday that Schwinn would serve instead as a senior adviser and chief strategist, roles that do not require Senate confirmation.
Schwinn enjoyed a good reputation among national conservative education advocates for her work in Tennessee to boost reading proficiency and target pandemic relief dollars toward academic recovery. Schwinn was the second name President Donald Trump announced to lead his Education Department, after Secretary Linda McMahon, even before he was sworn into office.
Despite support from Republicans like Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, increasingly influential conservative commentators in the state almost immediately came out in opposition to Schwinn. They pointed to her support for social and emotional learning and her support for reading curriculum they found objectionable. The right-wing advocacy group Tennessee Stands called Schwinn an “incredibly terrible” pick.
Their persistent opposition raised questions about Schwinn’s prospects for confirmation. Neither Sen. Marsha Blackburn nor Sen. Bill Hagerty, both Republicans from Tennessee, replied to multiple requests for comment through their offices regarding Schwinn’s nomination. But Blackburn in particular may be sensitive to concerns from the right flank of the party as she eyes a potentially crowded Tennessee gubernatorial primary in 2026.
In a press release, Schwinn said she had made the decision to withdraw “after thoughtful consideration about how I can best contribute at this moment in a way that supports progress for students and education.”
“I’m grateful to President Trump and Secretary McMahon, and remain committed to protecting kids, raising achievement, and expanding opportunity – my lifelong mission and north star,” Schwinn said.
Jim Blew, co-founder of the Defense of Freedom Institute, a conservative think tank, said he believes Schwinn could have been confirmed — but it might have been an ugly battle. That senators appear to have sided with conservative influencers over their own president raises serious concerns, he said.
“There was a time when senators could explain that they were going to disregard these fringe voices and say they were going to vote with the president,” said Blew, who served in the Education Department in the first Trump administration. “These senators allowed these influencers to shape their opinions in ways that are not good for the country and that are not good for students and that are not good for the administration.”
Asked why Schwinn withdrew and whether she had the votes to be confirmed in the Senate, Education Department spokesperson Madi Biedermann replied with a copy of the press release.
“I am grateful to Dr. Schwinn for her commitment to serving students, families, and educators across the nation,” McMahon said in a statement. “Penny is a brilliant education mind, and I look forward to continue working with her as my Chief Strategist to Make Education Great Again.”
Advocates hoped Schwinn’s education experience would complement McMahon’s background in business and administration. Her perspective as a former state schools chief would have been particularly valuable, they said, as Trump sought to “return education to the states.”
Schwinn’s critics feared she would undermine Trump’s agenda from inside the department. Less ideological critics also raised questions about Schwinn’s business dealings. Florida business filings indicated that she made plans to start an education consulting business with former Palm Beach County superintendent Donald Fennoy after she was nominated. The 74 reported that Schwinn and Fennoy filed paperwork to dissolve the company shortly before her confirmation hearing.
At her confirmation hearing in June, Schwinn pledged her alignment with Trump’s education agenda. The Senate education committee advanced her nomination in a party line vote later that month, but she never came up for a vote in the full Senate, where lawmakers have been consumed with divisive budget battles.
Many key leadership roles in the Education Department remain vacant as nominees await Senate confirmation even as McMahon tries to move forward with the legally complex task of reducing the department’s footprint.
“It’s lopsided to ask this secretary to do so much work and then not give her the team she needs,” Blew said.
Michael Petrilli, president of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute, said Schwinn’s withdrawal reflects poorly on the Republican Party.
“This is a big loss for the country and for the Department of Education,” he said. “Shame on the Republicans for refusing to show any spine.”
This story has been updated to include additional context and reaction.
Chalkbeat Tennessee Bureau Chief Melissa Brown contributed reporting.
Erica Meltzer is Chalkbeat’s national editor based in Colorado. Contact Erica at emeltzer@chalkbeat.org.
