For his thesis, Ben Gordon ’25 turned his attention to his hometown of Siesta Key, Florida, where school board meetings had become a stage for culture war debates, overshadowing meaningful discussions about education policy. But something shifted during the 2024 elections when voters opted for a slate of moderate, policy-driven candidates. That surprising outcome formed the basis of Gordon’s “Thinking Locally, Winning Locally: How Local Candidates Overcame Nationalization in Conservative Florida School Districts.”
“I was inspired to study how these candidates were successful despite Florida’s increasingly conservative political environment,” Gordon, a political science major, says. “Ultimately, I hoped to create a roadmap for local candidates navigating similarly challenging political environments.”
Gordon focused his research on elections in three Florida counties, each featuring different campaign strategies and levels of grassroots activism. Working closely with his advisor, Associate Professor of Political Science Steve McGovern, Gordon narrowed his broader interest in Florida’s politics into a more focused, comparative study. During weekly meetings, they set the project’s scope and shaped the research design, including planning how to approach and effectively interview the school board members. He also credits McGovern with helping “frame my argument to apply to local candidates across the country, regardless of political affiliation.”
The seeds of his thesis were planted in courses like “Public Policy” with Professor of Political Science Zach Oberfield, where Gordon had his first opportunity to research Florida education policy by studying the development of the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. “Geographies of School and Learning: Urban Education Reconsidered” with Kelly Zuckerman, a visiting assistant professor in the Bi-Co education department, influenced his thinking about education, governance, and the significance of local decision-making.
Gordon says his thesis has deepened his appreciation for the complexity and influence of local politics, especially in a climate where partisanship and polarization reign. Contrary to popular belief among scholars, Gordon says his findings challenge the notion that party identity always trumps local concerns and offer what he calls “a glimmer of hope” for issue-focused campaigns.
The project also affirmed Gordon’s professional direction. He plans to attend law school and eventually work in education policy. While he may return to Florida in the future, “there’s certainly a lot to be done to reform the education system there,” he says, he hopes to launch his career in Philadelphia or Washington, D.C.