Gov. DeSantis brings big-time politics to normally low-key school board races with raucous Sarasota rally
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School board races have never been like this in Florida.
Gov. Ron DeSantis barnstormed the state Sunday to promote the 30 school board candidates he has endorsed, holding large, raucous rallies more typical of statewide races, not normally low-key contests for local education leadership jobs.
DeSantis packed a Shriner hall in Sarasota with a crowd of roughly 500 to 1,000 people, filling the facility to capacity. The event also drew a crowd of protesters outside.
Inside, people wore Donald Trump and DeSantis hats, DeSantis shirts and DeSantis stickers. One woman even had a DeSantis dress. They held up signs reading "protect parents rights."
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Outside people called the governor "DeSatan" and held signs mocking his focus on fighting "woke" ideology.
The crowds inside and outside were drawn by DeSantis' status as one of the most prominent and polarizing GOP figures in the country. He increasingly is viewed by many Republicans as the future of the party and a likely presidential candidate, and is using his immense popularity within the GOP to shine a spotlight on races that normally receive little attention or campaign spending.
That changed this year. In Sarasota County, the candidates for one school board seat raised more than $350,000 combined and the candidates for another seat have raised a combined $282,000.
That's unusual. So is the governor's focus on down ballot races. No Florida governor in recent memory has put such a big emphasis on winning school board seats.
'Education not indoctrination'
DeSantis' focus on local school contests is about pushing his conservative education agenda, which has included legislation limiting how race, gender and sexual orientation are discussed in schools.
Many of the school candidates who attended Sunday's rally echoed DeSantis frequent refrain that he wants "education not indoctrination."
“You will not indoctrinate our children, you will not steal their innocence," said Aly Marie Legge, a conservative Hillsborough County School Board candidate endorsed by DeSantis.
The school culture wars have been a defining issue in national politics over the last two years, with DeSantis leading the charge in Florida.
“We’re not going to be teaching kids to hate this country or to hate each other," DeSantis said Sunday in touting his "STOP woke" law impacting how race is taught in schools. "We’re not going to let them manipulate history to try to enhance a modern day left wing agenda.”
DeSantis slams Biden and Fauci
DeSantis delivered a nearly 45-minute speech that was punctuated by frequent applause from the crowd, chants of "USA, USA" and boos for President Joe Biden, Anthony Fauci, Disney and other foils of the governor.
DeSantis also delved into the debates surrounding some of his education bills, particularly HB 1557, officially known as the Parental Rights in Education act but dubbed by critics the "Don't Say Gay" bill.
“They talk about pansexualism and all this stuff," DeSantis said of transgender advocates. "I’m just thinking… ‘imagine what our elderly, they don’t know what any of this stuff is. It’s weird that you would even be talking about it.’"
DeSantis closed out the rally by bringing all the local school board candidates he endorsed on stage while the crowd cheered.
'He cares about what happens to our kids'
The rally was unlike typical school board campaign events in recent memory in Florida, but not unusual for a rally in a governor's race or presidential race. It effectively doubled as an event for DeSantis' reelection campaign, which has held few public events but should ramp up significantly after the Aug. 23 primary.
DeSantis is focusing heavily on education issues as he campaigns for reelection, touting a series of controversial bills on topics that have helped conservatives win elsewhere, such as the Virginia governor's race. Many conservatives view DeSantis' focus on school board seats as an extension of those efforts.
"He cares about what happens to our kids," said Sarasota resident Susan McGuire after the rally.
North Port resident Libby Kline said her granddaughter and other students recently left their Sarasota school because of concerns about "masking, shared bathrooms" and other issues. She praised DeSantis for getting involved in these issues at the local level.
"I think it's awesome," Kline said. "It just shows what kind of man he is. He's truly dedicated to local Florida communities."
DeSantis' is doing a lot to help his preferred school board candidates.
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The governor wrote $1,000 checks from his political committee, Friends of Ron DeSantis, to school board candidates he backed this year, and also is paying for mailers in their races.
At least three mailers paid for by Friends of Ron DeSantis have gone out to help his three endorsed Sarasota School Board candidates. They encourage voters to "stand with Governor DeSantis on August 23rd."
DeSantis also held big rallies Sunday in Miami, Jacksonville and Ormond Beach. Candidates from Sarasota, Manatee, Lee and Hillsborough counties attended the Sarasota event.
Florida school board races aren't typical primaries because they technically are nonpartisan. A candidate's party affiliation doesn't even appear on the ballot.
The 30 school board candidates DeSantis is backing are conservatives who, in many cases, are running against more liberal opponents. DeSantis' involvement could boost GOP turnout in the primary, which many voters overlook. Turnout is typically between 20% and 30%.
School Board candidates take the stage
DeSantis’ endorsed School Board candidates from Sarasota took the stage ahead of the governor’s remarks.
First was Robyn Marinelli, who is facing Lauren Kurnov, a candidate endorsed by the local Democratic Party. Kurnov has raised the most money of any candidate on the ballot in Sarasota County, accumulating almost $250,000 in campaign contributions.
Marinelli said she completely supports DeSantis’ education agenda.
“We have to bring back common sense,” she said. “Educate and not indoctrinate.”
Tim Enos also took the stage. Enos faces Nora Cietek, a career educator from New York, in his run for the School Board.
Enos cited an incident where a woman was removed from a Sarasota School Board meeting during public input as a key moment in his decision to run for the School Board. Parent’s rights are under attack, he said. In an interview after the event, Enos said he was "humbled" that the governor would use his celebrity to draw such a big crowd in support of local candidates.
"It's really extraordinary to be a part of something like this," Enos said.
Sarasota School Board member Bridget Ziegler also spoke at the rally. Ziegler faces Dawnyelle Singleton, a Sarasota native and former educator who would be the first Black School Board member in the county’s history.
The only incumbent in the race, Ziegler has drawn the scrutiny of opponents for her stances on mask mandates, critical race theory and parental rights in education. In her remarks, she attacked fellow board member Tom Edwards for his comments at an event saying he was “woke” and is working from the inside to advocate for left-leaning policies.
“The Left has had a hold on education for decades, but conservatives are awake now,” Ziegler said.
More: Sarasota School Board District 1 race overview: Bridget Ziegler vs. Dawnyelle Singleton
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Opponents respond
The opponents of Ziegler, Enos and Marinelli shrugged off the governor's visit and said they are focused on helping students, not pushing an ideological agenda.
“When (DeSantis) was here, I was out door knocking and encouraging voters to vote on Aug. 23,” Singleton said. “I’m focused on local issues, students and teachers… not Tallahassee.”
Kurnov said she wants to get partisan politics out of the School Board. The focus should instead be on advancing the area’s students and schools, she said.
“I am not running for office to achieve a partisan or ideological outcome,” Kurnov said. “I’m running to get politics out of the classroom so our kids, teachers, and parents can focus on what’s best for our students instead of what’s best for someone’s political career.”
Cietek said she spent Sunday talking with voters, something she’s done every day since filing to run for School Board.
“While the rhetoric is not helpful to finding a path forward where the attention is shifted back to our children, I am steadfast in my focus on our students and their well-being,” Cietek said in response to the governor's rally.
Protesters outside
Across Beneva Road from the Shriner hall, about 75 protesters waved signs and shouted chants as cars arrived at the venue.
"Sarasota kids matter!" the chanters shouted into megaphones. "Stand up, fight back!"
Organizations such as the Tampa Bay Party for Socialism and Liberation, Central Floridians for Social Equality, and Support our Schools rallied protesters to the event with signs in hand.
Christina Quinn, 40, came from Daytona Beach with the CFSE holding a sign that read "DeSatan leave those kids alone." The self-proclaimed "public enemy number one" to DeSantis, she said he's pushing policies that are trying to erase history.
One sign had the definition of "woke" and a satirical definition of DeSantis. Katie Gerhardt, 62, said she made the sign because being woke is under attack.
"I don't think woke is a bad thing," she said. "It's being aware and enlightened. (DeSantis) being anti-woke is not a good thing."
Further down Beneva Road and closer to the venue, about 10 supporters of Ziegler, Enos and Marinelli stood by two large mobile billboards. One billboard attacked Kurnov, calling her a liar and listing her experience at Planned Parenthood. The other listed the initials of the Republican candidates, dubbed "ZEM".
Matt Ryan, a 54-year-old retired Sarasota resident, stood next to the billboards waving a U.S. flag to oncoming cars. Ryan said he homeschools his daughter because he believes liberals are trying to indoctrinate kids in schools.
He said the protestors supporting the Democratic-endorsed candidates need to go back to New York, and school boards shouldn't have more control over students than a parent.
"We're trying to bring them back to traditional values," Ryan said.
Proud Boy at rally
The rally drew a wide range of individuals on both sides of the political aisle, including a man in a Proud Boys shirt. The DeSantis campaign responded to a question about the individual from the Proud Boys, a far right group whose leader was charged with seditious conspiracy for his alleged involvement in planning the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, attending the governor's event with a statement criticizing the Herald-Tribune.
“It’s sadly predictable that the media will find anything to distract from the palpable energy that was in that room for the DeSantis Education Agenda," said DeSantis campaign spokesperson Lindsey Curnutte.
The man in the Proud Boys shirt appeared to be the same individual who was listed as an RSVP contact for a meet and greet event for Marinelli, which she later decided not to attend after the Herald-Tribune wrote about the man's involvement with the event.
Asked about the Proud Boy Sunday, Marinelli said she had "no comment and don't see any connection. I was at the rally as a school board candidate that has been endorsed by Governor DeSantis."
A truck with a billboard criticizing Kurnov also was parked outside the rally. The truck originally called Kurnov, who once worked for Planned Parenthood, a "baby killer" but later was changed to call her a "woke Democrat" after criticism of the baby killer message.
Marinelli previously said the baby killer attack "adds more to the divisiveness" and Enos called it "reprehensible” and “appalling.”
Follow Herald-Tribune Political Editor Zac Anderson on Twitter at @zacjanderson. He can be reached at zac.anderson@heraldtribune.com
Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Ron DeSantis holds Sarasota, Florida rally for school board candidates
