As he seeks a second term as Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis is trying to get as many loyalists on school boards as possible.
During a campaign event on Sunday, the candidate said that they need help at the local level. It's going to make a big difference if you vote.
The governor has endorsed 29 conservative candidates for the school board races, which don't get much attention and are technically nonpartisan.
School board members make decisions about things like spending and schedules. The school boards in more than a dozen counties refused to allow students to wear masks because of the governor's endorsements.
The elections have become more important for voters who were frustrated after schools stayed closed during the coronaviruses. The Republican Party has taken note of the energy behind these races and has moved to restrict school curriculum or practices on race, gender, and sexual orientation.
The school board candidates received donations from the political committee of DeSantis. Florida is where we are going to win and die.
Lieutenant Gov. Jeanette Nuez told the crowd that education was important to the future of the state.
She called on everyone to join her in the fight to take back the school boards.
During his speech, he said he would double down on many of the education issues he tackled over the last four years, which are spelled out on his website.
Rejecting school lock-ups and keeping gender ideology out of schools are included. He said he would support higher pay for teachers.
According to the National Education Association, Florida has the lowest relative pay for teachers of any other state in the US, despite the fact that state lawmakers and the governor increased their pay this past year.
Florida's teacher shortages could be reduced through providing temporary teaching certificates to police officers, paramedics, and firefighters.
The idea is short-cutting and doesn't really get at the root of the problem, according to the Florida Education Association President.
The leader of the union said that they wanted to make sure that the teachers in the classroom were fully trained and experienced.
The first stop on the tour was Doral, which is located in Miami-dade County. According to the campaign, there was a crowd of more than 1200 people.
In November, the winner of the race will face off against either Fried or Crist. The Democratic nominee for governor will be decided by voters on Tuesday.
In other states, including Pennsylvania and Ohio, he has been campaigning on behalf of Republican candidates.
The White House is rumored to be a target for the man. Presidential hopefuls use stumping for candidates in other states as a way to create political loyalties and burnish their brands as party leaders.
Before he becomes that powerful, it's important to raise awareness about his policies, according to Avani, a 28-year-old trans woman who was protesting outside of the campaign event. She didn't want to reveal her last name.
New education standards that reduced testing, as well as requiring school districts to show how they choose textbooks, were celebrated by the governor during his speech.
When he decided to reopen schools during the Pandemic in the fall of 2020, he celebrated the way he did. Many blue states followed suit as they realized that school closings did more harm than good.
Being a parent has affected the views of the governor on schools.
He said that it made him and his wife more sensitive to the things parents have to think through with their children.
People who attended the rally said they were excited about the future of the governor. "Education has to be the first priority and we need new blood on the school boards," said the 73-year-old from the Westchester neighborhood.
Max Morgan said any parent is conservative when it comes to their children even if they are politically liberal.
He said that they want the best for their children and the safest environment.
The Parental Rights in Education Act was one of the policies that he promoted.
The law banning discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools was dubbed the "Don't Say Gay Bill" by critics.
One of the school board candidates for Indian River County stated that children are being exposed to things that are robbing them of their innocence. The content isn't age appropriate or grade level appropriate. There needs to be a new slogan: save our children.
Critics say the bill may be extended to higher grades because it contains ambiguous language banning such instruction in a way that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate. They are worried about students being outed to families who don't accept them and the speech of teachers who are gay.
At his campaign rally, he bashed the critical race theory, which he said was teaching children to hate their country and hate each other because of race. Republicans use the term as a shorthand for race-based discussions and trainings that are related to Marxism.
Racist institutions in the US were caused by slavery and the Jim Crow era. Democrats argue that it's mostly taught in law schools and that politicians who favor banning attempts to whitewash history are hypocrites.
As the governor's supporters left the event, the protesters chanted "We say gay!".
A new state law that makes it illegal to have an abortion after 15 weeks into a pregnant woman is one of the things that the protesters held up.
Avani said that teachers feel uncomfortable that they can't be themselves.
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