Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis endorses 23 school board candidates for August primary

A focus on Academics, parents’ rights and instructional accountability is what Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says his list of 23 school board candidates in the Aug. 20 primary bring to the table in their respective districts.

“I’m happy to endorse this slate of school board candidates who have pledged to serve with a focus on student success, parental rights, and curriculum transparency,” DeSantis posted to X, along with a list of the candidates. “We want the best for our children and I’m confident all 23 candidates will build upon the success we’ve had here in Florida.”

Reaction from school board reformers was immediate and enthusiastic.

“I can’t name another Governor that takes an invested interest like Ron DeSantis does into lower ballot races. This is how you fight the left. It’s why Florida is leading the way,” said one user on X.

Florida’s school board elections are nonpartisan, and a primary is held when two or more candidates compete for the same seat, according to Ballotpedia.

In 2022, DeSantis-backed school board candidates won 24 out of the 30 seats, critically reshaping the education and political landscape for Florida, reported Politico. Voters also reacted favorably to landmark legislation DeSantis proposed for parental rights and school choice.

Critics mocked the endorsement moves as an “education culture war” being waged by DeSantis but at the same time admitted his effectiveness.

“Since Election Day, newly conservative school boards in two counties have moved to push out their superintendents,” reported the Washington Post, following the victories. “One approved a new restrictive policy regarding transgender students. Another school district terminated a contract with an LGBTQ+ youth network, and critics suspect the superintendent’s actions were influenced by her new board.”

After the election in 2022, DeSantis initially said he’d be targeting 14 school board seats in 2024, according to the Miami Herald.

The races involve some school board members who supported critical race theory and other political ideologies in schools, said one GOP official.

“These are individuals that just don’t fall in line with the vision that we see for school boards, which is a pro-parent, pro-kids school board member, rather than being controlled by unions or pushing, you know, this leftist ideology onto our kids,” he told the Herald.

Two of the counties where DeSantis is endorsing three candidates demonstrate what the governor has done previously in school board elections.

In Duval County, the GOP said it made the decision to treat school board races like every other partisan election.

“We’re doing the things that you would expect a well-developed, well-oiled political machine to do in furtherance of electing its nominees. We do everything in our power — which is considerable — to elect Republicans in school board races,” Duval GOP Chair Dean Black told Jacksonville Today.

In Duval, two conservative moms are joined by a former teacher on the DeSantis slate, looking to knock off one incumbent and snatch two open seats in the district.

In Pinellas County, three candidates backed by Moms for Liberty are trying to take over the liberal majority school board, with help from DeSantis.

The candidates listed on the DeSantis slate come from the counties of Brevard (2), Duval (3), Flagler (1), Hernando (1), Hillsborough (2), Indian River (2), Lee (3), Martin (1), Miami-Dade (1), Pasco (1), Pinellas (3), Sarasota (1), St. Lucie (1) and Volusia (1).