Candidate Profile: Chad Choate

Chad Choate, who was appointed to the Manatee County School Board to fill the vacancy in District 4 when Scott Hopes became county administrator, is seeking election to the seat, which will be decided in the August primary.

"I am humbled by this opportunity to serve and look forward to standing with Governor DeSantis by opposing a mask mandate in Manatee County Schools, keeping Critical Race Theory out of our classrooms, and prioritizing civics education," said Choate upon being appointed.

In a press release announcing his intention to run this year, Choate said that, if elected, he will focus on parental rights, student safety, and teacher pay.

"As a parent, I’ve been involved in my children’s education, and I want to make sure more parents can and want to be involved in their child’s education," said Choate in the release. "Keeping parents in the driver’s seat should be paramount concern to everyone in this school district."

Choate is a financial advisor with Edward Jones. He is a lifelong Manatee County resident and Manatee High graduate with a BS from USF. Before transitioning to finance in 2007, he taught and coached at Braden River and Manatee High. He serves on the Leadership Manatee Alumni Association Board of Directors, Manatee County Ageing Network Board of Directors, Kiwanis of Bradenton Membership Committee and is Trustees Chair for Trinity United Methodist Church. He is an Accredited Asset Management Specialist and earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida.

School board races are non-partisan. All candidates who qualify are put on the primary ballot and, if no candidate gets a simple majority of votes, the top two vote-getters compete in a runoff on the general election ballot. As Choate only has one opponent in the race–Sean Conley–the winner of the August race will win the seat.

Choate has raised just under $19,000 as of the last reporting period, much of which has come from developers and development-related interests.