In Tuesday's primary election, voters in the liberal-leaning county rejected a slate of school board candidates backed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the local chapter of Moms for Liberty, a far-right group notorious for spreading QAnon-adjacent conspiracy theories and labeled by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an "antigovernment extremist organization."
But while Daniel Penha Foganholi Sr. was one of several candidates rebuked by voters, it wasn't long before he was scooped up at a state level.
In an August 23 press release, DeSantis announced Fohangoli's appointment to the Florida Board of Education, effective November 20.Unbelievable —
— Peter Schorsch (@PeterSchorschFL) August 23, 2024
Dude who was voted out of Broward School Board on Tuesday is appointed by @GovRonDeSantis to state Board of Education on Friday. pic.twitter.com/GqFDzKlfJ4
Longtime attorney Maura McCarthy Bulman defeated Foganholi — who was appointed to the District 5 seat in April 2022 by DeSantis — for the District 1 seat, which covers parts of Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale Lakes, and Lauderhill. Bulman, a lawyer and former Peace Corps volunteer who has four sons in Broward public schools, won with 51 percent of the vote. Foganholi received just under 20 percent.
Foganholi will remain on the school board until Bulman is sworn in in November.
As previously reported by New Times, Foganholi was one of several candidates who appeared at a Moms for Liberty-hosted candidate forum ahead of the election, during which he emphasized that he wants to ensure that books in school libraries are "age-appropriate."
"Some of these books...and you see it when people come to board meetings and they'll start reading [them]. I feel so uncomfortable when it happens," Foganholi said. "Like as a board member, I put my head down. I'm just like, 'There's no way...there's no way these books are in our libraries.'
Added Foganholi, "As a parent, it scares me."
A Coral Springs resident and Florida Atlantic University graduate, Foganholi serves as director of legislative affairs for New Generations Children’s Ministry and a member of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission.
Jennifer Jenkins, founder of the PAC Educated. We Stand, wrote in a statement that DeSantis' latest appointment of Foganholi is a "blatant disregard for the will of the people."
"Voters showed up on Tuesday and made their voices heard, decisively rejecting Foganholi and the extremist values he represents—values that have earned him the endorsement of far-right groups like Moms for Liberty," the statement reads. "In a true democracy, elected officials are chosen by the people, not anointed by political power. DeSantis’ decision underscores his disregard for a government that reflects the will of its constituents and his preference for imposing his own political agenda."
