A.G. Gancarski
The political world is talking about whether Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has what it takes to run for President, but remarks Monday suggest the Governor is currently more focused, at least for now, on smaller stakes, namely school boards and replicating the formula that led to a successful 2022 cycle.
A majority of his endorsed candidates for school boards won, his latest in a series of existential challenges to the education establishment.
“The school board races in 2024 I think give us an opportunity to flip some more of these boards throughout the state of Florida,” DeSantis said to applause at an Orlando “The Freedom Blueprint” event Monday afternoon.
“And I know there’s definitely been individual school board members who have been very obnoxious over these last few years, with how they handled COVID, masking and all these different things,” DeSantis elaborated, not offering examples of “obnoxious” board members.
“They’re free to do that, but they’re representing constituencies that agree with us on all these issues, not agree with them on those issues.”
“We need to make sure we have good candidates ready to go in a lot of these races, and we will help to illuminate the contrast in those races,” DeSantis continued. “And I think you’re going to see really, really positive results in 2024.”
August races are best for conservative candidates, he added, given the difficulty of educating voters amid a crowded November ballot.
“You know who’s likely to vote in that election,” DeSantis said. “General elections are more difficult because there’s a lot more people who vote than in a Primary.”
“We don’t need to have five conservatives run against one liberal in a race,” DeSantis cautioned, adding that “it’s not about any one individual” but “making sure these school boards reflect the values of the community and they’re not a tool of a special interest, partisan agenda.”
He noted he does “not get involved if there are two candidates running against each other.”
He said that he could get involved overtly or operate “behind the scenes, or whatnot,” as was the case in Leon County.
“It is what it is,” DeSantis said. “You guys can make your judgment on how you want to go on that. It just depends on what the underlying complexion (of) the district that you’re running in is.”
DeSantis said back in August this was a novel strategy for Republicans.
“This is new, particularly for Republicans, because (it) had basically been unions would back candidates and that would be it,” the Governor said in Tallahassee last summer. “Now I think more parents are interested, some of our voters are interested. We have no consequential races really statewide that are competitive, and so you have a situation where this may be one reason why people are motivated.”
In 2021 DeSantis vowed to get his “political apparatus” involved in school board races, a promise which held this year. For 2024, he’s calling his shots two years in advance.
16 comments
Joe Corsin
December 19, 2022 at 10:03 pm
These Christian fascists and right wing sub-apes are gonna make Florida schools a right wing nationalist propaganda factory. Then when students attend college they’re gonna have a rude awakening.
G. Fardella
December 19, 2022 at 10:16 pm
We need a patriotic education curriculum along with the banning of CRT, transgenderism and elimination of pornographic material; all schools need to teach good civics, and focus on all the good that the USA has done inn the world; again, no crt, no pornography, no grooming of children to accept alternative life styles…Mr. JC is way off base
James R. Miles
December 20, 2022 at 7:57 am
Leave students ignorant of history so history can repeat itself! For you people , out of sight is out of mind and wallowing in ignorance is your forte. Being inclusive is not a right-wing virtue!! That way, conflicts will NEVER be settled, They will go on and on and on and progress will NEVER be made!!
Bob
December 20, 2022 at 9:03 am
The Marxist atheists have been working for decades to steal the minds of our children!
Mr. Haney
December 23, 2022 at 7:08 am
Typical conservative idiotic comment.
Joe Corsin
December 20, 2022 at 10:18 am
The USA has rarely ever done anything good. Only like twice. And it never will if we let right wing nationalists continue to paint rosy pictures of degeneracy.
Leave it to you
December 21, 2022 at 1:30 am
Florida cant even do education.
Adding patriot in front of It won’t change anything lol
Mr. Haney
December 23, 2022 at 7:07 am
You need an education.
Daniela Patterson
December 26, 2022 at 1:22 pm
You need to transport yourself back a couple of Centuries
joey.
December 27, 2022 at 8:43 pm
all the good that the USA has done inn the world? What about all the bad? Can we teach that? or we erase history?
Bob
December 20, 2022 at 9:01 am
A whole lot better than the left-wing atheist Marxist LGBT grooming factories they are now!
Joe Corsin
December 20, 2022 at 10:20 am
You are a hardcore neo fascist nut job. You should be in a zoo.
Ask Jesus
December 21, 2022 at 1:33 am
You hate Gays since you Christian’s only divorce nowadays lol
Ocean Joe
December 24, 2022 at 1:13 pm
You have to admit this is good book burning weather. Bring the math and science books down to the town square. Plus folks can light their torches and head to the nearest school board meeting.
Daniela Patterson
December 26, 2022 at 1:24 pm
DeSantis will be History in four years
Ronald Crump
December 29, 2022 at 8:25 am
Look at the above comments. The leftist groomer commenters are howling. Proof positive 98% of Floridians know America’s finest Govornor is doing the right thing with the School Board clean up.
BTW leftist hater commenters please try to remember to repent your sins before you get in a bad car wreck. Attach a sticky note to your stearing wheel in case you drive off a cliff or into a canal in South Florida. “God forgive me for supporting groomers” would be good enough on your sticky note to get y’all into Heaven.
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