Tom Edwards qualifies for school board ballot in bid for reelection
Tom Edwards, an incumbent Sarasota School Board member who sits as the only registered Democrat on the board, qualified for the August election by petition, his campaign announced in a statement Wednesday.
Edwards, who was first elected in 2020 and represents District 3, is the lone dissenting voice on a 4-1 conservativeleaning majority on the Sarasota School Board. He’s called himself a “woke” school board member, a word used by Gov. Ron DeSantis and some conservatives to target progressive activism. While more progressive than the conservative school board majority, Edwards has previously said he would describe himself as a moderate rather than a liberal.
To qualify, Edwards collected 3,566 signatures from Sarasota County residents.
“I am deeply grateful for the overwhelming support shown by the residents of Sarasota County,” he said in a statement. “This milestone is a testament to the shared commitment we have toward championing a safe, highachieving, academic environment for all Sarasota County students.”
In February 2023, DeSantis named Edwards as a target in the 2024 election. Edwards, who is gay, has been a vocal opponent of legislation pushed by the governor and other conservatives such as the Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by its critics. During his tenure on the board, he was targeted for his sexual orientation; called an “LGBT groomer” and “a threat to the innocence of our children” because he was gay.
As of Wednesday, two candidates — Gregory Wood and Thomas Andrew Babicz — had filed to run against Edwards.
Edwards had raised $75,278 as of Wednesday, the most of any candidate for school board this cycle. His opponents had both filed within the first quarter of 2024, so campaign fundraising numbers weren’t available at the time of publishing. First quarter campaign finance records publish on the 10th of April, according to the supervisor of elections website.
The District 3 seat on the Sarasota School is one of two seats up for election in August. Incumbent District 2 board member Karen Rose also seeks reelection against challenger Liz Barker.
Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.