Anti-Common Core Groups Mostly Victorious in Florida Primary Elections

Tuesday was a big day for some anti-Common Core groups, who had thrown their weight behind congressional and statewide candidates in the August primary. Florida anti-Common Core groups released several endorsements and voter guides to help voters determine which candidates talked the talk and walked the walk when it came to abolishing the controversial Common Core State Standards.

Here’s how their candidates fared in the 2016 August primary:

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

CD1- Matt Gaetz-WIN
State Rep. Matt Gaetz received the blessing of Florida Parents Against Common Core in their last wave of endorsements before the August primary. FPACC praised the Fort Walton Beach Republican for his work in the Florida House as a “superior representative,” commending him for being a man of action in the Florida Legislature.

“Students, parents, and teachers need his leadership in order to regain their rightful priority in influencing and eventually determining state-led education curriculum, standards, and testing,” the group said.

Gaetz easily won over his opponents, taking 36 percent of the vote. 

CD2- Mary Thomas-LOSS
FPACC commended the political newcomer for her desire to end Common Core and reform education in Washington, but Indian American attorney Mary Thomas narrowly lost the Republican primary Tuesday evening by only 1700 votes. 

CD 13-David Jolly-WIN
FPACC and anti-Common Core groups have easily hopped onboard with Jolly’s moderate stance on many policies, especially when it comes to holding Washington accountable for the future of students. Jolly condemned Common Core and has spoken out against what the group sees as federal overreach by the U.S. Dept. of Education.

“He is the standard bearer for allegiance to truthfulness when engaging with the public,” FPACC wrote.

Jolly sailed to victory Tuesday evening, taking 75 percent of the primary vote.

CD 18-Rebecca Negron-LOSS
It’s no surprise that Negron, a local school board member, would have received the blessing of anti-Common Core groups, since she had first-hand involvement in local education policies, working to push textbook reform in Martin County.

“If elected to Congress, Ms. Negron’s ultimate goal for education on the federal level will be to return ED back to the states, a necessary move consistent with the almost unanimous support of our parents,” FPACC co-founder Laura Zorc explained. “Negron’s belief that the best decisions in education are made by those closest to the student and neighborhood school, which are parents and classroom teachers, gives us confidence she will take the principles she practiced on the school board to Washington, D.C.”

Rebecca Negron, wife of incoming Senate President Joe Negron, put up a good fight for the seat, but ultimately lost to newcomer and GOP Brian Mast, who moved into CD18 last year. Negron received 25 percent of the vote to Mast’s 37 percent.

FLORIDA SENATE

Senate District 12- David Gee-LOSS
Anti-Common Core group Florida Stop Common Core Coalition gave outsider David Gee the highest rating in this Republican primary. He earned an “A-” for his opposition to CCSS. 

On the flip side, the group gave primary winner Dennis Baxley a “D” rating, criticizing his affiliation with pro-Common Core groups like the Associated Industries of Florida. 

Baxley walked away with 37 percent of the vote while Gee only won 26 percent of the vote.

Senate District 17-Debbie Mayfield-WIN
Anti-CCSS groups’ support for Mayfield hardly comes as a surprise. She secured the endorsement of FPACC and an “A++” rating from FSCCC. Both groups praised her commitment to education issues in Florida and have generally always been strong supporters of her work to combat the controversial standards in the Florida House. 

"The decision to endorse Rep. Mayfield was determined by evidence of her consistent support of not only academically sound and student-centric education policy, devoid of the toxic assessment culture so many elected officials are willing to prioritize in our public school classrooms, but we parents will forever feel grateful for the validation she gave our movement and voices at the onset of our fight with both the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Legislature," FPACC state director Luz Gonzalez said.

Ritch Workman, Mayfield’s main primary opponent, was generally regarded as somewhat of a villain by anti-Common Core groups, which resented ads from Workman which said he was a “leader” in the fight against Common Core. The groups called those notions “ridiculous.” 

Mayfield walked away victorious in this nail-biter primary, taking 42 percent of the vote.

Senate District 23 - Ray Pilon/Greg Steube-TOSSUP
SD23 had a large Republican pool battling it out, dividing the votes to an intense degree.

FSCCC praised Rep. Ray Pilon for his commitment to spearheading anti-Common Core legislation in Florida. He received an “A+” rating from the group. 

Rep. Doug Holder was a particularly problematic candidate for anti-Common Core groups, which criticized his mailers saying he was a leader in the fight against the standards in Florida. Nearly all anti-CCSS groups disagreed with the mailer, attacking Holder for attempting to “mislead” voters and criticizing his lack of initiative on fighting Common Core. He received an “F” rating from the group.

Rep. Greg Steube ultimately won the SD23 primary, taking 31 percent of the vote. Steube received a “B+” from FSCCC, which commended him for his stance against the standards in a Campaign for Liberty survey and in a forum.

Senate District 28- Matt Hudson-LOSS
Neither Republican primary candidate was a favorite for anti-CCSS groups in this district, but FSCCC particularly disagreed with Rep. Kathleen Passidomo’s refusal to answer whether she opposed the standards in a forum and a questionnaire. 

Passidomo’s endorsements from the Florida Chamber and outgoing Sen. Garrett Richter, both of whom support the standards, also proved problematic for the group, which gave her a “D” rating.

Passidomo blew Hudson out of the water, taking nearly 58 percent of the vote.

FLORIDA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

House District 73- Steve Vernon- LOSS 
Anti-Common Core groups strongly opposed Florida Trump co-chairman and Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida Joe Gruters’ advocating of removing the name “Common Core” from the Florida version of the standards. He received a “D-” from FSCCC for promoting “deceptive” rebranding of the standards.

Gruters’ opponent, Steve Vernon, received an “A” rating from the FSCCC, listing opposition to Common Core as one of his top priorities. 

The race came down to the wire for the two candidates, but Gruters narrowly won over Vernon, taking nearly 51 percent of the vote, while Vernon took 49 percent.