John Youngquist, a former East High School principal, won the at large seat held by outgoing Board Vice President Auon’tai M. Anderson, based on the unofficial tally released on Tuesday. 

Youngquist, who did not get the support of the local teachers’ union, led early and maintained that sizable advantage over his two competitors with 62% of the vote as of the 10 p.m. vote count.

“It’s a great start,” Youngquist said at his watch party at Bar38 in Denver.

The former educator had faced off between Kwame Spearman, a Tattered Cover co-owner, and Brittni Johnson, a doctoral student.

Spearman received 25.7% of the vote and Johnson, 11.7%.

The local teachers’ union endorsed Spearman.

Spearman called Youngquist after the 8:30 p.m. release of the vote count to congratulate him but did not speak with him. He blamed outside money and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s TV spot for the “shocking” loss.

“If we’re just going to let billionaires buy races then why go through this process of having a vote?” Spearman said.

Financial and campaign support typically accompany an endorsement, making union support a critical get for candidates.

The latest fundraising reports filed with the Colorado Secretary of State shows Spearman had raised the most with $128,864; followed by Youngquist with $108,861 and Johnson with $1,127.

Public respect for teachers has handed an outsized influence to unions.

A recent study that examined the effect of teacher union endorsements on voter support found union-endorsed candidates win school board races about 70% of the time. The research suggests a teachers’ union endorsement functions as a shortcut for low-informed voters.

The Denver Classroom Teachers Association – which represents nearly 4,000 educators – has supported each serving board member.

In June, Anderson dropped out of the school board race to run for House District 8, which is held by state Rep. Leslie Herod, D-Denver, who will be term-limited in 2024.

Anderson’s seat had attracted six candidates.

Marla Benavides, a former bilingual paraprofessional, Ulcca Joshi Hansen, who has a PhD in neuroscience and human development, and Paul Ballenger, a security expert, all dropped out of the race to replace Anderson.

Spending for the school board election exceeded $1.3 million.

While not the most expensive, this year’s spending was notable for a television ad with Johnston, who waded into the political fray by supporting three candidates endorsed by a pro-charter organization.

The race was also marred by a racist mailer in the final weeks before the election.

That leaflet pictured Spearman, who is Black, with a sad white child and accused the bookstore owner of bullying Tattered Cover employees while he was CEO.

Spearman called the juxtaposition “dog whistling.”

The Better Leaders, Stronger Schools committee was behind the attack flyers, spending $1 million on candidates, including the mayor’s TV ad, which alone cost $250,000.

The committee is a political arm of Denver Families, which was founded with the support of local charter school networks in 2021 with funding from Virginia-based The City Fund.

The pro-charter group also sent negative fliers about Baldermann and Lindsay, the two incumbents this election cycle.

In Denver, pro-charter organizations are often pitted against the local teachers’ union.

Political watchers have credited the teachers’ union with the historic 2019 “flip” that shifted the balance of power on the board toward undoing the reforms put in place by previous boards.

The current board is at odds with a traditional union system and progressive education model that emphasizes school differentiation to meet student needs. (Teachers in alternative models – think charter or innovation schools – are not part of the bargaining unit.)

Local political pundits had speculated – given the public discontent – that the race held the potential of changing the board’s dysfunction.

The election comes as the board has endured months of withering public criticism for a series of missteps that include school closures, gun violence, an executive session the court has ruled illegal and the termination of a popular principal and a wrongful termination lawsuit.

Overall discontent has also given rise to the “Resign DPS Board” effort, which has sought to vote out and recall the incumbents.