Conservative school board candidates lose ground as moderates push back on culture war issues

Liberal and moderate school board candidates claimed victory across the country this week, wresting majority control from Republicans in some swing suburban districts, fending off challenges in liberal communities, and defeating some conservatives who had sparked intense backlash in right-leaning counties.

While school board elections are officially nonpartisan in most of the 16 states that held them on Tuesday, the rancor over culture war issues such as book bans and policies dealing with gender and race polarized many of the contests. And in many of the districts where these issues have dominated board meetings and local politics, conservative candidates were unable to successfully leverage them.