RESULTS: Majority of DeSantis-backed candidates lose school board races in Tampa Bay area

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Many candidates backed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis lost their race for spots on school boards across the Tampa Bay area on Tuesday.

In a continued effort to reshape Florida’s education system, Governor Ron DeSantis threw his weight behind 23 county school board candidates across the state, targeting 14 Florida counties, including both Hillsborough and Pinellas. 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.

Florida’s Democratic Party, led by Nikkie Fried, threw its support behind 11 candidates as part of its “Take Back Local” program, saying the party is “not going to let Ron DeSantis and his allies take over our school boards with far-right, Moms for Liberty candidates.”

So far, a majority of DeSantis’ candidates lost their race for school board seats in the Tampa Bay area.

Layla Collins, backed by DeSantis, lost to Nadia Combs in Hillsborough’s District 1, while Myosha Powell lost to Jessica Vaughn in District 3. Collins and Powell were backed by DeSantis, while Combs and Vaughn were backed by Florida Democrats under their “Take Back Local” program.

In Pinellas County, 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. “I think we really have succeeded with that so far here in Pinellas County.”

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.”

DeSantis’s candidate in Hernando County, Mark Cioffi, also failed to grab a majority vote and appears to be heading to a runoff in District 4.

Karen Rose in Sarasota’s 2nd District, another DeSantis-backed incumbent candidate, lost to challenger Liz Barker.

DeSantis-backed Allison Crumbley in Pasco County’s District 4 also lost to Jessica Wright.

Below are the school board races in our area:

Florida Election Results | U.S. Congress | U.S. Senate | Florida State Legislature | Citrus County | Hardee County | Highlands County | Hillsborough County | Manatee County | Pasco County | Pinellas County | Polk County | Sarasota County

This page will be updated with live election results as they come in.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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