Endorsements of school board members by state executive officeholders and candidates, 2025
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This page lists endorsements of school board candidates by state executive officials and candidates in 2025. Endorsements included official statements, appearances at campaign rallies, and direct participation in campaign ads and materials.
This page organizes the endorsements by state and endorser and includes the following:
- California: Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond (D).
- New Mexico: Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard (D) and State Auditor Joseph Maestas (D).
- Oklahoma: Commissioner of Labor Leslie Osborn (R).
- Washington: Governor Bob Ferguson (D), Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove (D), and Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal (D).
See one we missed? Email us at editor@ballotpedia.org
Ballotpedia tracked endorsements of school board candidates by state executive officials or candidates beginning in 2022. We identified seven state executive officials or candidates who issued endorsements in 2022, 31 in 2023, and one in 2024. Click here for historical data.
California
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond (D)
Tony Thurmond endorsed one candidate.
| School board endorsements by Tony Thurmond, 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Status | Office sought | Endorsement type | Outcome |
| Trinidad Arredondo (Nonpartisan) source | Incumbent | Coachella Valley Unified School District school board Trustee Area 1 (special) | General | |
New Mexico
Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard (D)
Stephanie Garcia Richard endorsed one candidate.
| School board endorsements by Stephanie Garcia Richard, 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Status | Office sought | Endorsement type | Outcome |
| Warigia Margaret Bowman (Nonpartisan) source | Open seat | Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education District 6 | General | Won general |
State Auditor Joseph Maestas (D)
Joseph Maestas endorsed one candidate.
| School board endorsements by Joseph Maestas, 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Status | Office sought | Endorsement type | Outcome |
| Joshua Martinez (Nonpartisan) source | Open seat | Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education District 5 | General | Won general |
Oklahoma
Commissioner of Labor Leslie Osborn (R)
Leslie Osborn endorsed one candidate.
| School board endorsements by Leslie Osborn, 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Status | Office sought | Endorsement type | Outcome |
| Paula Lewis (Nonpartisan) source | Incumbent | Oklahoma City Public Schools school board, Chairperson | General | Won primary |
Washington
Governor Bob Ferguson (D)
Bob Ferguson endorsed one candidate.
| School board endorsements by Bob Ferguson, 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Status | Office sought | Endorsement type | Outcome |
| Joe Mizrahi (Nonpartisan) source | Incumbent | Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors District 4 | General | Won general |
Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove (D)
Dave Upthegrove endorsed one candidate.
| School board endorsements by Dave Upthegrove, 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Status | Office sought | Endorsement type | Outcome |
| Laura Williams (Nonpartisan) source | Open seat | Kent School District school board District 5 | General | |
Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal (D)
Chris Reykdal endorsed four candidates.
| School board endorsements by Chris Reykdal, 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Status | Office sought | Endorsement type | Outcome |
| Thomas Garrard (Nonpartisan) source | Open seat | Edmonds School District school board District 4 | General | |
| Mark Stuart (Nonpartisan) source | Incumbent | Lake Washington School District school board District 4 | General | Lost primary |
| Susan Donahue (Nonpartisan) source | Open seat | Longview School District school board Position 2 | General | |
| Ann Johnson (Nonpartisan) source | Open seat | South Whidbey School District school board Position 5 At-large | General | |
Background
In 2022, Ballotpedia tracked seven state executive officials or candidates for those offices across four states who made 114 endorsements. These types of endorsements represented a new development compared to previous election cycles.
In July and August 2022, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and his opponent in that year's gubernatorial election, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist (D), both endorsed slates of school board candidates. NBC News' Tyler Kincade wrote: "It was unusual to see a sitting governor wade into what are officially nonpartisan races that historically have been overlooked by big donors and the national media."[1]
In September 2022, NPR said of school board races, "[w]hat used to be small, local contests are now attracting outside money and attention from groups and political leaders."[2]
Ballotpedia continued this research in 2023, identifying 31 state executive officials or candidates for those offices across eight states who made 111 endorsements. In 2024, DeSantis was the only state executive official to endorse school board candidates. He endorsed 23 candidates.
See also
- State executive official elections, 2025
- School board elections, 2025
- Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2025
Footnotes
