Incumbents beat DeSantis-backed candidates in Florida school board races

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — School board candidates in Florida backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis were defeated Tuesday in several counties, results that opponents of the Republican say are a rebuke to his conservative education agenda.

Incumbent school board members in one of Florida’s largest swing counties appear to have held off a challenge from candidates backed by DeSantis, according to preliminary results. Activists had hoped that three challengers endorsed by the local chapter of Moms for Liberty would win a conservative majority in Pinellas County, home to St. Petersburg on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

But unofficial results show current school board chair Laura Hine and incumbent member Eileen Long have held on to their seats, after arguing that a political shift on the board could create turmoil in the district and distract from the mission of student achievement.

In a third race for an open seat on the Pinellas board, candidates Stacy Geier and Katie Blaxberg appeared to be headed for a runoff, after no one in the three-way contest cleared 50% of the vote.

With 100% of precincts reporting, Hine, the board chair, carried 69% of the vote over DeSantis-backed challenger Danielle Marolf’s 30%, according to preliminary results. Incumbent member Long brought in 54% of the vote over the 45% netted by Erika Picard, who was also endorsed 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 Tuesday’s elections.

In the third race for the board, Stacy Geier garnered 37% of the vote compared to Katie Blaxberg’s 34%, with a third candidate Brad DeCorte netting 28%, according to the county’s preliminary results. 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”. She found herself on the opposing side of the local chapter of Moms for Liberty and was targeted by conservative activists online.

“The misinformation that has been spread by this group of people and the intent to … place mistrust in our teachers,” Blaxberg said, “people are tired of it.”

Much of the political debate in the races had hinged on “parental rights”, a movement which grew out of opposition to pandemic precautions in schools but now is animated by heated complaints over teachings about identity, race and history.

Long, one of the Pinellas incumbents, said she sees the results as an admonishment of the governor.

“People want sanity. People want common sense. And people believe we should educate everyone,” Long said. “The people have spoken.”

Incumbents in Hillsborough County hold off conservative challengers

In neighboring Hillsborough County, home to Tampa, two current board members — who had landed on DeSantis’ list of incumbents he wanted voted out — both appeared to fight off challenges by candidates that the governor had endorsed.

With 100% of precincts reporting, incumbent Nadia Combs had garnered 52% of the vote over the 37% pulled in by Layla Collins, who was endorsed by DeSantis. A third candidate, Julie Magill had netted just under 10% of the vote.

Meanwhile sitting board member Jessica Vaughn pulled in 58% of the vote, compared to the 41% earned by DeSantis-backed Myosha Powell.

Collins and Powell were among the 23 school board candidates that DeSantis endorsed this cycle, in an effort to carry on his war on “woke” in public schools. Combs and Vaughn meanwhile had the backing of the Florida Democratic Party, which threw its support behind 11 school board candidates statewide.

In Broward County, DeSantis appointees are voted off

Meanwhile in South Florida, two conservative-leaning board members who were appointed by DeSantis to the school board in reliably Democratic Broward County appear to have lost their seats to challengers, according to preliminary results.

DeSantis tapped Torey Alston to step onto the Broward board in 2022, after the governor removed four elected board members from office after a grand jury accused them of mismanagement and neglect of duty. DeSantis appointed Daniel Foganholi to the board in 2023, after a candidate chosen by voters couldn’t take office due to a prior criminal conviction.

Given the chance to decide on Tuesday, the county’s voters chose to unseat the two political appointees.

With 100% of Broward precincts reporting, the unofficial tally shows that Maura McCarthy Bulman carried 51% of the vote over Foganholi’s 19%. A third candidate, Chris Canter, pulled in 28%.

Meanwhile Rebecca Thompson, who was backed by the Florida Democratic Party, netted 66% of the vote over Alston’s 33%.

The three elected incumbents running to keep their seats on the Broward board – Debbi Hixon, Jeff Holness and Sarah Leonardi — each won by a more than 40% margin in their respective races, according to the county’s unofficial results.

___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.