Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s (R‑FL) goal of electing conservative school boards across Florida hit several roadblocks Tuesday night, with nearly half of his endorsed candidates suffering defeat.
DeSantis, who has made national headlines for his stance on education in the Sunshine State, endorsed 23 candidates for Tuesday’s elections, and 11 appear to have lost, per Florida’s unofficial counts. Only six of DeSantis’s endorsed candidates won outright, while the remaining six are heading to runoff elections in November.
This is a dramatic change from 2022, when only five of the governor’s 30 endorsed candidates suffered defeat.
Though Florida’s school board elections are nonpartisan, conservative candidates have nabbed endorsements from Republicans like DeSantis and groups such as Moms for Liberty. State Democrats and the Florida Education Association have rolled out endorsements to their preferred candidates, as well.
Florida Democrats endorsed 11 candi …