Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis entered local politics in a big way on Monday with endorsements in 20 local school board elections.
“We need strong local school board members who are committed to advancing our agenda to put students first and protect parents’ rights,” he tweeted. “I am proud to endorse 10 local school board candidates who will set our children up for success”:
We need strong local school board members who are committed to advancing our agenda to put students first and protect parents’ rights.
I am proud to endorse 10 local school board candidates who will set our children up for success.https://t.co/6Jb5HaaUhI pic.twitter.com/UytFojOY2p
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantisFL) June 20, 2022
More from the Tampa Bay Times:
The big story: Anyone wondering how far Gov. Ron DeSantis might go to influence school board elections around the state got an answer on Monday.
Just days after issuing his education agenda, which included a questionnaire for board candidates seeking his support, DeSantis released his first round of endorsements. The move followed on the heels of his efforts to affect state Senate races during ballot qualifying week.
His list included 10 board hopefuls from across Florida, including Sarasota incumbent Bridget Ziegler, who co-founded Moms for Liberty, and Alachua incumbent Mildred Russell, a DeSantis appointee who led the ouster of the district’s pro-masking superintendent.
Is there any Republican that gets the proverbial “it” more than DeSantis right now?
Have you ever seen a governor make school board endorsements before? https://t.co/boKFAsJhtK
— Chris Pandolfo (@ChrisCPandolfo) June 20, 2022
The First Lady of Florida added, “We need more moms and dads standing up for their kids and their communities”:
We need more moms and dads standing up for their kids and their communities. I’m excited to see so much energy around the @RonDeSantisFL education agenda.
I look forward to these leaders adding their voices to our students-first agenda. https://t.co/LC2Ha20qrM
— Casey DeSantis (@CaseyDeSantis) June 20, 2022
And if this reaction from lib Lesley Abravanel is any indication, the governor IS over the target:
Reckless Ron DeSantis, Spewing Drivel Today on His Taxpayer Funded Yelp Tour of Sycophantic Florida Greasy Spoons at the Appropriately Named 'Pig Barbecue', Weaponizes School Board Races with Ideological Survey #RemoveRon #KimJongRon https://t.co/ZN1MIVI4q6
— Lesley Abravanel 🪩 (@lesleyabravanel) June 20, 2022
But it’s not just school boards. Politico’s Florida Playbook reported that Gov. DeSantis and the Republican Party of Florida announced debates in competitive primaries for 4th, 7th, 13th and 15th congressional districts, two of which will be moderated by conservative Mark Levin:
And the introduction of DeSantis’ Thunder Dome ™ pic.twitter.com/vaJoaPY6j1
— Matt Dixon (@Mdixon55) June 21, 2022
And, apparently, Gov. DeSantis never bothered to tell all the candidates there would even be debates. Who’s ready for “DeSantis Thunderdome”?
I may have missed something yesterday, but re DeSantis Thunder Dome, which is such a great term @MDixon55, there was a lot of grumbling from more than one congressional campaign that they got no notice there would be these debates. https://t.co/3FVZ8JSmSU
— Peter Schorsch (@PeterSchorschFL) June 21, 2022
And they’ll thank the governor for doing it:
And they’ll thank you for your leadership along the way
— Matt Dixon (@Mdixon55) June 21, 2022
Hey, we did learn in that New Yorker profile that he “doesn’t give a f***”:
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