FORT LAUDERDALE – Democratic-endorsed school board candidates fared somewhat better Tuesday than candidates backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
In July, DeSantis pitched an initial list of 23 endorsements statewide for the 2024 races. Of those candidates, six won primaries Tuesday, 11 lost and six others moved on to runoffs that will be decided in the November general election. The Florida Democratic Party ended the primaries with seven of its 11 endorsed candidates getting elected, two losing and two others going to runoffs.
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 the 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 tally shows that Maura McCarthy Bulman carried 51% of the vote over Foganholi’s 20%. A third candidate, Chris Canter, pulled in 28%.
Rebecca Thompson, who was backed by the Florida Democratic Party, netted 66% of the vote over Alston’s 34%.
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.
In Miami-Dade County, DeSantis-endorsed incumbent Mary Blanco topped a three-candidate field but will have to face Democratic-backed Max Tuchman in a runoff.
The results were similar to other school board races in the state.
In Hillsborough County, Democratic-backed school board members Nadia Combs and Jessica Vaughn each received more than 50% of the vote to defeat Layla Collins and Myosha Powell, who were backed by the governor. Sitting board member Jessica Vaughn pulled in 58% of the vote, compared to the 41% earned by DeSantis-backed Myosha Powell.
In Duval County, the DeSantis-endorsed Melody Bolduc held off Sarah Mannion, who was endorsed by the Democratic Party.
In Pinellas County, unofficial results show current school board chair Laura Hine and incumbent member Eileen Long have held on to their seats. Hine carried 69% of the vote over DeSantis-backed challenger Danielle Marolf’s 30%, according to preliminary results. Long brought in 54% of the vote over the 45% netted by Erika Picard, who was also endorsed by the Republican governor.
DeSantis’ opponents said the results are a rebuke to his conservative education agenda.
The Associated Press and News Service of Florida contributed to this report.
