As our students face federal cuts to school meals, student programs, and school funding, a number of Republican and Trump/MAGA-aligned candidates are attempting to bring a deeply divisive and distracting agenda to Montgomery County schools. Unfortunately, our county has already been directly impacted by the chaos and reckless cuts coming from DC. The last thing we need is more of it locally.

BRENDA DIAZ

School board races may be non-partisan, but Brenda Diaz is a favorite of the Montgomery County Republican Party, which promoted her repeatedly during her failed 2024 run for Board of Education.

And it should be no surprise. Diaz spoke at a Trump birthday celebration held by the Montgomery County GOP, repeatedly celebrated RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard on her X page, and has endorsed bringing the DOGE disaster to our local schools, tweeting ”Instead of fully funding #MCPS, it’s time to @DOGE MCPS!” Trump’s DOGE disaster led to the mass firings of tens of thousands of public servants, cut critical programs, and caused chaos throughout the federal government.

Her campaign website endorses a breathtaking range of far-right fringe theories. Her site recommends “consult[ing] the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty for model policies supporting parental rights in curriculum and opt-out decisions.” The Wisconsin Institute, whose past legal efforts include attempting to purge voter rolls in Democratic areas of Wisconsin, also promotes school policies encouraging school prayer and barring race-conscious decisions.

She claims that “School Boards for Academic Excellence (SBAE) is the national organization Brenda most closely aligns with.” This should be concerning, as SBAE’s website highlights research promoting arming teachers with guns and arguing against social-emotional learning at a time when student mental health is a top concern, among other controversial theories.

Her site also promotes the billionaire-funded anti-union Teacher Freedom Alliance, which is run by the former CEO of Oklahoma’s public schools who made national news when he attempted to mandate Bible study in the state’s schools.

Perhaps her interest in such divisive, controversial, and extreme ideas makes sense when you consider that she has written that “leftist ideologies are deeply embedded within our school system, limiting freedom of thought and expression.”

Though she once taught in MCPS, Diaz quit teaching because of medical mandates designed to protect students and staff during COVID. Diaz denies that the COVID-19 vaccine saved lives, saying vaccines “have caused much harm.” She encourages the public to read what RFK Jr. – a notorious proponent of the falsehood that childhood vaccination causes autism – has written about alleged “vaccine-related injuries.”

These extreme views earned Diaz the endorsement of UARE during her 2024 campaign, a group that does not believe in considering social justice, equity, and diversity when making decisions, and is affiliated with SPLC-designated hate group Help Save Maryland. Diaz has continued her UARE connection in her current campaign, speaking at one of their events in March 2026.

During her 2024 campaign, Diaz also participated in an event by Moms for Liberty, an extremist group known for promoting book bans and accused of harassing educators and community leaders.

Diaz unsuccessfully sought the endorsement of the local teachers’ union during the 2024 primary election. She has since proudly advertised that she is not endorsed by the union. 

Brenda Diaz is too extreme for the Montgomery County school board. We need leaders who make decisions based on what is best for our students – not right-wing fringe theories. 

SHARON CREED

Unfortunately, Brenda Diaz is not the only Board of Education candidate who is far-right or MAGA-aligned. Sharon Creed is closely connected with the Montgomery County Republican Party, donating hundreds of dollars to the party–including the state’s Freedom Caucus made up of some of its most extreme members, running for a seat on the Republican Central Committee, and supporting President Trump.

Along with Diaz, Creed spoke at a UARE event in March 2026. The group does not believe in considering social justice, equity, and diversity when making decisions, and is affiliated with SPLC-designated hate group Help Save Maryland.