[2] Tuck was a candidate for California State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2014 and 2018, placing second in the general election in both races.

[8] He then became a senior leader at Model N, a revenue management software company[9] based in the Silicon Valley, before switching careers to work full-time in education.

[14] News coverage of the Partnership's 10-year history noted it as a "unique turnaround model is driving big gains at struggling campuses.

[17] Parents at Ritter Elementary School, together with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, filed a complaint in 2009 after Tuck cut dual language immersion programs.

[32] A recurring issue in the campaign was an ongoing legal challenge at the time to the state's laws which grant teacher permanent status ("tenure") after two years.

[33] Tuck said he supported the students who brought the lawsuit, and wanted to see California law change to extend the amount of time before a teacher had to earn tenure or be let go.

[citation needed] In March 2017, Tuck announced that he would run again for State Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2018.

Washington Post columnist George Will expressed his support for Tuck's candidacy in "A California election that might actually matter"[citation needed] and President Obama's Education Secretary Arne Duncan penned an OpEd for the San Jose Mercury News, also supporting Tuck and urging voters to "forget the lies in the state schools' superintendent race.".