Many of the candidates endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis lost their bid for school board seats around the state, a trend reflected in Sarasota, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties on Tuesday.
Although school board races are nonpartisan, DeSantis' opponents claim it was a sign that voters are tired of culture war issues playing out in classrooms.
The Republican governor's preferred challengers championed conservative ideals such as parental rights, curriculum transparency. and teachings about identity, race and history.
RESULTS: How the greater Tampa Bay region voted in local, state and federal races
According to unofficial results, 11 of the 23 candidates backed by DeSantis lost, while six won and six were headed to runoffs. Those runoffs could still go in DeSantis' favor.
On Wednesday, DeSantis acknowledged that efforts to make school boards more conservative were more successful two years ago, but said progress is still being made.
“Some of them that came up short, that’s going to be something they can build on for future election cycles,” DeSantis said. “If you look at where we were four or five years ago versus where we are now, there’s much more interest on these school boards in protecting the rights of parents.”
During the 2022 elections, 83% of DeSantis’ preferred candidates advanced, helping reinforce the state’s rightward turn in education. That’s compared to a 52% success rate for this election.
Saasota County
Board Chair Karen Rose was narrowly defeated by newcomer Liz Barker, a former school psychologist and mother of four children in public schools who promised to take politics out of the process.
Rose had poured more than $90,000 of her own money into her campaign in the final days, compared to Barker whose coffer was built mainly by small, individual donations.
Despite decades of experience as a teacher and principal, Rose was seen as an increasingly political force on the board on decisions that proved costly to the district, like removing a superintendent in 2022 and redrawing district lines ahead of this election.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to have been elected to serve on the Sarasota school board,” Barker said in a statement.
“I am committed to working collaboratively with parents, educators, administrators and community members to ensure that our schools provide a safe, nurturing and academically rigorous environment for every student.”
Barker's victory shifts the balance slightly, bringing two Democrats to the five-member board. Three conservatives who were not up for reelection, still have their seats.
Incumbent Tom Edwards won easily against two contenders who appeared to split the Republican vote. Edwards is a moderate who has advocated for improving schools' career readiness programs and regularly appears at school events.
District 2
Liz Barker — 51.38%
Karen Rose (incumbent) — 48.62%
District 3
Thomas Babicz — 22.52%
Tom Edwards (incumbent) — 55.76%
Greg Wood — 21.72%
Hillsborough County
The makeup of the board will largely stay the same with most incumbents holding onto their seats and the at-large race heading to a runoff.
The Tampa Bay Region’s largest school district was a target of DeSantis, who aimed to flip the board into a conservative majority.
But the seven-member body will hold its Democratic slant. Incumbent Nadia Combs, who was endorsed by the Florida Democratic Party, bested Layla Collins with about 53% of the vote.
Collins, wife of Republican state Sen. Jay Collins, was backed by DeSantis and outraised every other Hillsborough candidate with $130,000 in campaign funds. She ended up garnering about 37% of the vote.
Third candidate, Julie Magill neared 10%.
Vaughn, also backed by the state’s Democratic Party, held onto her District 3 seat with nearly 59%, beating Myosha Powell, another DeSantis candidate.
Henry “Shake” Washington, a longtime district employee, defended his District 5 post against three challengers, including former board member Tamara Shamburger, whom he ousted in 2020.
The at-large District 7 race, with four candidates, is headed to a runoff in the Nov. 5 general election. Current board member Lynn Gray, who received about 35% of the vote, will face off against Karen Bendorf, who won about 30%.
In a pool of more than two candidates, the winner must take more than 50% of the votes cast.
District 1
Nadia Combs (incumbent) — 52.99%
Layla Collins (DeSantis endorsement) — 37.06%
Julie Magill — 9.96%
District 3
Jessica Vaughn (incumbent) — 58.94%
Myosha Powell (DeSantis endorsement) — 41.06%
District 5
Henry Washington (incumbent) — 60.60%
Kenneth Gay — 24.37%
Elvis Piggott — 13.64%
Tamara Shamburger (write-in and former school board member) — 4.4%
District 7 At-Large
Lynn Gray (incumbent) — 35.11%
Karen Bendorf — 30.26%
Johnny Bush — 24.67%
Jen Flebotte — 9.97%
Pinellas County
Incumbents held onto their posts despite DeSantis backing challenges in each of the three races.
Current board chair Laura Hine won with nearly 70% of the vote against challenger Danielle Marolf, a DeSantis candidate.
Incumbent Eileen Long, with 54%, beat Erika Picard, who was also backed by the Republican governor.
“We have got to stay focused on that work at hand and not be subject to the social political winds. Education is vital. And it has to be stable," Hine told the Associated Press ahead of the election. "I think we really have succeeded with that so far here in Pinellas County.”
In District 5, Stacy Geier, who received 37%, and Katie Blaxberg, who got 34%, will meet in a runoff on Nov. 5.
The third challenger, Brad DeCorte, received about 28%.
Geier was endorsed by DeSantis and the local chapter of Moms for Liberty, while Blaxberg has argued parental rights activists have gone too far, with some equating books with pornography and labeling teachers as “groomers."
“The misinformation that has been spread by this group of people and the intent to … place mistrust in our teachers,” Blaxberg told the Associated Press, “people are tired of it.”
District 1 At Large
Laura Hine — 69.38%
Danielle Marolf — 30.62%
District 4
Eileen Long — 54.49%
Erika Picard — 45.51%
District 5
Katie Blaxberg — 34.67%
Brad DeCorte — 28.13%
Stacy Geier — 37.2%
Pasco County
Jessica Wright, a former teacher in the district and Florida Virtual School instructor, narrowly defeated Alison Crumbley, a longtime board member backed by DeSantis.
District 4
Alison Crumbley — 49.08%
Jessica Wright — 50.92%
Manatee County
No one took more than 50 percent in either three-person race. That means the two with the most votes face off in a November runoff. Charlie Kennedy will meet Jon Lynch for District 3, and Heather Felton goes against Mark Stanoch for District 1.
District 1
Heather Felton — 39.13%
Alex Garner — 29.32%
Mark Stanoch — 31.55%
District 3
Charlie Kennedy— 47.45%
Jon Lynch — 30.04%
Perri Ann Parkman — 22.51%
Polk County
Sara Beth Reynolds Wyatt earned a fourth term, turning back a challenge from Rebekah Ricks, a former leader of the state Moms for America group, for the District 4 seat.
In the open District 2 seat, Travis Keys knocked off Marcus "MJ" Wright Jr. The seat was vacated when five-term board member Lori Cunningham decided not to seek reelection
Another incumbent, Willie Allen, easily bested Bernnie Brandt in District 1.
District 1
William Allen — 67.38%
Bernnie Brandt — 32.62%
District 2
Travis Keyes — 59.74%
Marcus "MJ" Wright Jr — 40.26%
District 4
Rebekah Ricks — 38.58%
Sara Beth Reynolds Wyatt — 61.42%
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
