Conservatives Take Maryland School Board Seats

Parents in four rural counties may see new library and curriculum decisions as the boards take office.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Administration

Conservatives Take Maryland School Board Seats

Live Poll

Should your local school board restrict books in school libraries?

Conservative school board candidates won seats in several rural Maryland counties on Election Night 2026, including Somerset, Frederick, Harford and Talbot counties. Results remain preliminary until mail-in and provisional ballots are counted.

Why it matters

School boards set policy on curriculum, library collections and how districts respond to parents, so a shift in board majorities can change what students read and how schools are run. The wins come as the 1776 Project PAC spent about $40,000 in midterm donations backing endorsed candidates, a sign of how organized the campaigns were in these counties.

1776 Project PAC spent about $40,000 in midterm campaign donations, and the group's candidates appeared headed to win four of Harford County's six board districts as of midday Wednesday. In Frederick County, Casey Day drew about 43,000 votes, or 14%, in an at-large race where the top four vote-getters win.

The players

1776 Project PAC

A political action committee that spent about $40,000 supporting conservative school board candidates in Maryland's midterm campaigns.

Maryland State Education Association

The state's teachers union, whose endorsed candidates won only two of six Harford County races on election night.

Matthew Lankford

Somerset County school board chair facing a removal effort launched by the Somerset Education Association.

Emily Jackson

Talbot County school board chair who was losing to 1776 Project candidate Mike Butler on election night.

The details

Frederick County elects its school board at-large, so the four candidates with the most votes take seats regardless of district. Somerset County's board has five members, and up to two conservatives could join it, which would give that board a conservative majority. Harford's board previously tried to ban the young adult book 'Flamer' from school libraries, but a Harford County Circuit Court judge upheld the state's decision to keep it available.

August 2026: Somerset board chair Matthew Lankford dressed down a teachers union president at a board meeting, the event that preceded the removal effort against him.
October 2026: A Harford County Circuit Court judge upheld the state's decision allowing 'Flamer' in school libraries.
November 4, 2026: Election night, when conservative candidates won multiple Maryland school board races.
Thursday, November 5, 2026: Officials continue counting mail-in ballots.

The Home Front

School board majorities shape the local rules that families live under, from library policy to how districts handle parent complaints. Maryland's rural counties now show how a single election cycle can move several boards at once, a pattern that sits alongside the state's own decision on 'Flamer.'

If you have children in a Maryland public school, check your county board's meeting schedule and policy pages to see how the new members are expected to vote on curriculum and library materials. Reviewing your district's library and parent-complaint procedures now will help you follow any changes as the board takes office.

The takeaway

School board races in small counties can shift policy quickly, so local results matter as much as statewide ones. Keep your county board's meeting agenda and minutes on file so you can track decisions on library materials and curriculum.

What happens next

Officials will continue counting mail-in and provisional ballots on Thursday, November 5, 2026, and final results in the close races will depend on that count.