School board candidates endorsed by conservative PAC saw mixed results in 2026 midterms

While Democrats overwhelmingly won control of the U.S. Congress after Tuesday’s midterm elections, school board races nationwide appeared to be a mixed bag for candidates endorsed by a leading conservative advocacy organization.

While the battle for control of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives dominated headlines before and after Tuesday’s midterm elections, more than a dozen candidates endorsed by one conservative organization appear headed for victory in races for seats on local and statewide boards of education.

1776 Project PAC, an organization that supports “reform-minded conservatives who oppose political indoctrination and believe in parental rights, safe and secure schools, fiscal transparency, improving educational standards, promoting transparency, and reversing pandemic-related learning loss,” endorsed more than two dozen candidates who were on the ballot in Tuesday’s general election.

The group claims on its X account that it has “helped elect over 250 un-woke school board members in the last three years.”

Maryland

In Frederick County, Maryland, where Democratic Gov. Wes Moore won by double digits in the 2026 election, one of the group’s four endorsed candidates is in contention for one of the four seats on the ballot this year. In Baltimore County, Maryland, unofficial results show  1776 Project PAC-endorsed Maggie Domanowski coming up short in her bid for a school board seat. 

In Harford County, Maryland, which backed Republican candidates by double digits in 2024 and 2026, the group endorsed five candidates for seats on the school board. Three of them — Joseph Alton, Donna Bladsell and Melissa Hahn — are leading their races, while Joe Fleckenstein and Robert Wagner trail. The group did not endorse a candidate for the sixth seat on the ballot. 

Unofficial results show 1776 Project PAC-endorsed candidate Caroline Bloxom losing her race in Worcester County, Maryland, another overwhelmingly Republican area that backed Trump in 2024 and Republican Dan Cox in the 2026 Maryland gubernatorial election. Meanwhile, the group’s preferred candidate Jackie Cutlip leads in the race for a different seat on the school board.

One of the group’s endorsed candidates in Somerset County, Maryland, Ronald Purnell, is leading his race while the other, Samantha Windsor, is trailing. In Talbot County, Maryland, 1776 Project PAC-backed Mike Butler and Lisa Hayes are leading their races, while Anne Rosen trails. Somerset County overwhelmingly supported Republican candidates in 2024 and 2026, while Talbot County did so by a much smaller margin. 

Florida

1776 Project PAC-endorsed Lindsey Denmark is currently leading in her race for a seat on the Duval County, Florida, Board of Education. Duval County is a swing county that backed President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election while supporting Democratic candidates in this year’s U.S. Senate and gubernatorial contests.

The group’s preferred candidate for the Manatee County, Florida, Board of Education, Camden Bedinghaus, also leads his opponent. Manatee County is a red county that backed Trump by double digits in 2024 and supported Republican U.S. Senate and gubernatorial candidates by double digits two years later. 

In another red county that backed Republican candidates by double digits in both 2024 and 2026, unofficial results show 1776 Project PAC-endorsed Christia Li Roberts leading her race for a seat on the Martin County, Florida, Board of Education.

Both of the group’s endorsed candidates in Brevard County, Florida, Gene Trent and Tammy Dennis, are trailing their opponents, as is Brittany Lyssy, the group’s preferred candidate in a Hillsborough County, Florida, school board race. Brevard County is reliably red and supported Republicans in both 2024 and 2026, while Hillsborough County supported Trump in 2024 before voting for Democratic U.S. Senate and gubernatorial candidates two years later.

Texas

1776 Project PAC-supported candidates Victoria Hinojosa and Tiffany Nelson trail in their races to win seats on the Texas State Board of Education.

While 1776 Project PAC-endorsed Kason Huddleston won a seat on the Texas State Board of Education, the group's fourth candidate, Audrey Young, is in a virtual tie with her Democratic opponent. Texas backed Trump by double digits in 2024 but swung to the left in 2026 by electing Democrats to multiple statewide offices. 

New Jersey

Unofficial results from Tuesday’s election results for school board seats in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, show 1776 Project PAC-endorsed Steve Farsiou and Lisa Santangelo trailing their opponents. Hunterdon County backed Trump in 2024 while supporting Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., in his re-election bid this year. 

The group highlighted additional victories by its preferred candidates on social media, noting that both of its endorsed candidates for seats on the Manalapan-Englishtown School Board in New Jersey won their races. The Manalapan-Englishtown School Board is located in Monmouth County, New Jersey, which backed Trump in 2024 and Booker in 2026. 

Alabama and Kansas

Two of the group's three preferred candidates won seats on the Kansas State Board of Education, as did its endorsed candidate for a seat on the Alabama State Board of Education. 

Alabama and Kansas both overwhelmingly supported Trump in 2024 although Kansas elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate this year as Alabama remained a red state.