Democrat-endorsed candidates win seats on Florida school board known for conservative stances
Two former teachers won by more than 10 points, and a third Democrat-backed candidate advanced to a runoff that could make the board fully aligned.
- On Tuesday, voters flipped the Sarasota County School Board, ousting the conservative majority that controlled the district since 2022 and handing two Democrat-endorsed former teachers control of the five-member board.
- Led by Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, the outgoing board prioritized book bans and anti-LGBTQ policies for years before Ziegler's November 17, 2026 departure when her final term ends.
- Former teachers Megan Tennimon and Beth Mayberry won their races with margins exceeding 10 percent, while Jimmy Glover finished first with about 44 percent, advancing to a November runoff that could secure a full Democratic-leaning majority.
- The new majority inherits a district planning to eliminate 259 jobs after nearly $45 million in public funds shifted to private school vouchers, creating a significant financial crisis for the incoming board.
- Equality Florida, an advocacy group backing the winners, noted Moms for Liberty is 'in free fall' after the group failed to secure wins in key districts, signaling waning influence for the once-dominant organization.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Sarasota School Board Flips as Voters Reject Culture Wars and Inherit a District Cutting 259 Jobs
Sarasota County voters flipped their school board on Tuesday, ousting the conservative majority that ran the district since 2022 and handing two former teachers control of a system now cutting 259 jobs as voucher money drains its budget. Megan Tennimon won the District 4 seat with about 55% of the vote, while Beth Mayberry took District 5 with roughly 57%, each defeating a candidate backed by the Republican Party of Sarasota County by more than …
Moms for Liberty co-founder who had bi threesome rape scandal to lose school board seat
Control of Florida’s Sarasota County Schools Board will flip to a Democratic majority following recent election wins and the fact that Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler — who was implicated in a 2023 rape scandal alleged by the woman she and her husband had threesomes with — will step down from the board on November 17, 2026, when her final term ends. She did not run for re-election. Ziegler was first elected to the board in 2014 with …
The Advocate
them.Florida voters deliver wins for LGBTQ+ candidates and losses for Moms for Liberty
Florida voters advanced several out candidates on Tuesday and, perhaps just as importantly, handed losses to candidates aligned with the once-dominant Moms for Liberty.Equality Florida cheered after 81 percent of the candidates it endorsed won their races Tuesday. Those winners included five out LGBTQ+ Democrats seeking seats in the Florida House: Jane Aman, Felipe Sousa Lazaballet, Samuel Vilchez Santiago, Luis Salazar and Todd Delmay. The grou…
Dems Flip Florida “Moms For Threeways” School Board
The Washington Post reports: Two Democratic-backed candidates beat out conservatives in Tuesday’s school board election in Sarasota, Florida, flipping the board’s majority. Helmed for the past year by a co-founder of Moms for Liberty — a conservative group that gained a national following with its parents’ rights messaging — the board is moving in a new direction, the winners said. A third Democratic-backed candidate will head to a runoff electi…
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