Florida Democratic Party backs Rogers, but not Wood, who says she isn't playing politics

The Florida Democratic Party released its list of school board candidate endorsements Friday, a week after Gov. Ron DeSantis released his lineup of endorsed candidates.

“We are not going to let Ron DeSantis and his allies take over our school boards with far-right, Moms for Liberty candidates," party chair Nikki Fried said in a news release.

The list features 11 candidates, from school board races from across the state. Only one is from Leon County: Jeremy Rogers who is vying for the District 4 seat against DeSantis endorsed incumbent Laurie Lawson Cox.

Rogers has been vocal about his opponent's affiliations with local Moms for Liberty members, Republican state Sen. Corey Simon and the governor.

"Our campaign has the momentum heading into August, and with our broad bipartisan support, we are going to win," Rogers told the Tallahassee Democrat.

Rogers is currently endorsed by the Big Bend Labor Council, Equality Florida, the Tallahassee Firefighters and the Leon County Classroom Teachers Association (LCTA). He said all three groups have a wide range of members with diverse political affiliations.

Rosanne Wood, the only other Democrat in the Leon County School Board races, was noticeably left off the list.

But she said that's because she isn't up for playing politics in the nonpartisan school board election. Amendment 1 on the general election ballot this year will give Florida voters the option to make school board candidates run by party affiliation, not as no-party candidates.

"I did not seek an endorsement because I believe there is too much partisanship in school board races," Wood told the Tallahassee Democrat Friday morning. "I don't see children as Republicans, Democrats or independents. I see them as children who count on us to look out for them."

Wood, who is endorsed by the LCTA, is running for reelection against Daniel Zeruto, a registered Republican, in District 2.

Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com . Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3 .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida Democratic Party backs Rogers, but not Wood, who says she isn't playing politics