In the News
Seven of Florida Democratic Party “Take Back Local” School Board Candidates Win Elections, Two Advance to Runoffs
Tonight, seven candidates from the Florida Democratic Party’s Take Back Local program were elected to school boards across the state, and two more advanced to runoff elections.
The Take Back Local program is an initiative to provide resources to candidates in competitive local races across the state. Eleven candidates, selected through a rigorous application and vetting process, received grassroots organizing and fundraising support from the Florida Democratic Party.
The Florida Democratic Party would like to congratulate the following members of the Take Back Local slate on their victories tonight:
- Stephanie Arguello — Seminole County School Board, Seat 3 (runoff)
- Nadia Combs — Hillsborough County School Board, Seat 1 (re-elected)
- Debbi Hixon — Broward County School Board, Seat 9 (re-elected)
- Sarah Leonardi — Broward County School Board, Seat 3 (re-elected)
- Luisa Santos — Miami-Dade County School Board, Seat 9 (re-elected)
- Rebecca Thompson — Broward County School Board, Seat 2
- Max Tuchman — Miami-Dade School Board, Seat 7 (runoff)
- Stephanie Vanos — Orange County School Board, Seat 6
- Jessica Vaughn — Hillsborough County School Board, Seat 3 (re-elected)
“Our Take Back Local program has been a huge success,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried. “The Florida Democratic Party supported school board candidates across the state to fight back against Ron’s Moms for Liberty candidates and their partisan extremism.
“When we knocked doors and made phone calls for these candidates, we kept hearing the same question from voters — ‘is your candidate going to ban books, or are they going to protect them?’ Our freedom starts in our schools, and we’re proud to have supported candidates who will fight for our students’ rights to see themselves represented in a book, to feel safe at school, and ensure every student has access to a high-quality education where they can learn and grow.
“I’d like to congratulate all of our candidates on races well run — I’m excited to see our new and returning school board members work to make their schools a better and safer place for our students.”
