LAKELAND, Fla.—Gov. Ron DeSantis was not challenged by a party rival in a Republican primary, so his name was not printed on any Aug. 23 ballot in any of Florida’s 67 counties.
But his name was all over elections across the state in the form of endorsements, particularly for candidates in local school board elections.
DeSantis, seeking reelection to a second term amid speculation about his presidential ambitions, endorsed 30 school board candidates across 19 counties.
According to Florida’s Secretary of State office, 19 won their races outright, and six are advancing to November runoffs.
The 30 endorsed candidates pledged to support the “DeSantis Education Agenda,” which limits discussions of sexuality or gender identity, bans “critical race theory” and “woke ideology,” and aims to make the school system “about education, not indoctrination.”…