'Get politics out of our classrooms': Groups look to remove Moms For Liberty school board candidates in Tampa Bay
A protester outside of the Moms For Liberty summit in downtown Tampa. Credit:Photo via Dave Decker Two organizations say they’re investing a quarter of a million dollars to support “pro-equality,. . .
A protester outside of the Moms For Liberty summit in downtown Tampa. Credit:Photo via Dave DeckerTwo organizations say they’re investing a quarter of a million dollars to support “pro-equality, pro-academic freedom” school board candidates this election season. The Equality Florida Political Action Committee and Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund announced Friday morning that the $250,000 will go toward 300,000 pieces of mail to reach more than 200,000 voters. The mailers are for “candidates in critical Florida school board races,” which include four in Orange County, three in Sarasota County, two in Seminole County, and one each in Hillsborough, Palm Beach, Pinellas, and Osceola counties. “The program aims to help voters identify which candidates are committed to getting politics out of the classroom and to recentering schools away from censorship and back toward student success,” a news release announcing the effort reads. Highlighting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ and Moms for Liberty’s focus on school board races in resent years, the organizations are looking to counter those efforts. The Florida Tribreportedlast month that Moms for Liberty, a Florida-born organization with nationwide reach, had not invested in any school board races this cycle. “Moms for Liberty’s influence has been on a long decline in its home state as the organization faced a wave of resignations, chapter dissolutions and scandals among Moms for Liberty leadership,” the Trib reported. The Moms for Libertywebsitedoes list nine endorsements for school board candidates in Florida, although it seems outdated given that three are not running for reelection and one lost her 2024 race. According to its own count, the organization’s endorsements in Florida in 2022 won at a rate of 80%. In 2022, most DeSantis backed school board candidates won. In2024, 11 of his 24 endorsements lostin the primary elections, six won, and seven faced runoffs. Joe Saunders, director of Equality Florida’s PAC, said that this year the organization is “bringing an end to the extremism and sideshows. ”“Together, we can fire Moms for Liberty, get politics out of our classrooms, and elect public school champions who believe in our teachers and will fight for the safety and dignity of every student,” Saunders said in the news release. Another $150,000 is dedicated to digital ads and direct voter contact, the organizations say. DeSantis’ time in office has been marked by “culture war” issues likemore strictly regulatingwhat books students may read in school,punishing teacherswho do not stick to pronouns for students according to their gender assigned at birth, and the Florida Board of Educationformally adoptinga conservative vision for education in the state. Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success. Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters. Follow us:Google News|NewsBreak|Reddit|Instagram|Facebook|BlueSkyThis article appears inAugust 13 – 19, 2026.