In The Gazette, reporter Eric Young details how closely fought school board races across El Paso County could tilt the ideological balance after November’s coordinated elections. The outlet reports that statewide the Colorado Education Association said more than 80 percent of its endorsed candidates were ahead as of election night. The author is Eric Young.
Young walks through the tightest contests. In D-49, challenger Holly Withers is up by just 16 votes over incumbent Jamilynn D’Avola after a lead that shrank from 2 percent to 0.29 percent. In Colorado Springs D-11, updated figures show Charles Johnson inching ahead of Jeremiah Johnson by 42 votes, while fellow CEA-backed candidate Michael Carsten trails by 56. Widefield D-3’s Michelle Hubbard and William Dolphin are among those leading with union backing, while Academy D-20 went the other direction as CEA-endorsed candidates were swept by Susan Payne, Eddie Waldrep, and Holly Tripp. The piece also notes ballot curing efforts, plus voters’ frustrations with circus-level board meetings that some compared to Jerry Springer.
The Bullet Point Brief
• Blue ripple, razor margins. CEA says over 80 percent of its picks were leading statewide, and El Paso County shows why.
• D-49 nail-biter. Withers by 16 over incumbent D’Avola after a lead that shrank to 0.29 percent. Every door knock mattered.
• D-11 photo finish. Charles Johnson up 42 over Jeremiah Johnson; Michael Carsten trails by 56. Curing ballots could swing it.
• D-20 bucks the trend. Union slate loses to Susan Payne, Eddie Waldrep, and Holly Tripp. Ground game still counts.
• Voters want boring again. Special education and bullying topped concerns, and folks are done with Springer-style board drama.
My Bottom Line
Here is the lesson, and it is not subtle. Conservatives mobilized after COVID, won seats, then got comfortable. The left never sleeps. They organize, they fund, they grind, and they show up when it is cold, late, and tedious. That is how you win 16-vote gut checks.
Colorado’s statewide teachers union has money, organizers, and time. Of course they played. If you want sanity and principles back in the room, you do not pout. You recruit candidates, raise small dollars, and outwork them precinct by precinct. Stop treating school boards like a victory lap. Treat them like a job. Because the other side does not stop. Ever.
Source: The Gazette
