LAND O' LAKES, Fla. — Kurt Browning has won the Republican primary for Pasco County Schools superintendent, unofficial election results show.
He is projected to beat out veteran teacher and administrator David LaRoche for the nomination. Browning earned more than 64 percent of the total 37,308 votes cast, according to the county's supervisor of elections.
Browning has served two terms in Pasco, one of the few districts in the state that have an elected superintendent. He’s also a former Florida secretary of state under Gov. Charlie Crist and Gov. Rick Scott; and at age 22 he became Pasco County’s supervisor of elections, the youngest supervisor in Florida.
Browning faced tough competition with LaRoche, who criticized some of his measures and cited Browning’s lack of classroom experience. According to Suncoast News, LaRoche filed a federal complaint against Browning weeks ago, claiming he was “wrongfully retaliated against” when he was demoted to assistant principal at another school.
Browning will face no-party candidate Cynthia Thompson in the November election.
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