Won a full term as Polk County School Board District 3 member on November 3, 2026 (unofficial results). Appointed in 2025; this was her first election to the seat.
In their own words
- Raising student achievement through a competitive education that prepares students for the modern economy. source
- "Recruiting and retaining great teachers through modernizing our compensation system and rewarding effectiveness." source
- Empowering parents with quality educational options and stronger involvement in their children's schooling. source
Priorities as the candidate states them, each linked to where they said it. Listing a candidate is not an endorsement unless this page says so.
Election update, November 4, 2026: Kate Wallace won a full term on the Polk County School Board, District 3, in the November 3, 2026 runoff, according to unofficial results. She first entered this office by appointment, not a previous election. Results are unofficial and subject to certification. Source: Polk Supervisor of Elections
Kate Wallace is a Bartow native and the sitting Polk County School Board member for District 3. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to the seat in November 2025 to serve the remainder of Rick Nolte's term, which expires in November 2026. She ran for a full four-year term in the November 3, 2026 election.
She is Director of State Government Affairs for Spectrum and brings two decades of experience in business, advocacy and education policy. She holds an International Baccalaureate diploma from Bartow Senior High School, a bachelor's degree in public relations from the University of Florida, and a certificate in nonprofit management from the Harvard Kennedy School.
In her own words: "I grew up in Polk County Public Schools, and my family and I have spent more than 35 years working to improve them."
Kate Wallace led the August 18 primary with 45% of the vote, well clear of the rest of the field. Florida settles a nonpartisan race in August only when a candidate takes more than half the vote, so the District 3 seat went to a November 3 runoff against Victor Sims.
About this office
The Polk County School Board sets district policy, adopts the school budget, and hires the superintendent. Board members are elected countywide by Polk County voters, but must reside in the district they represent. School board races are nonpartisan on the ballot, which means the party label does not appear next to the name, so knowing who the Republicans are is left to voters and to organizations like this committee.
The Polk County REC endorsed Kate Wallace for the November 2026 runoff. The committee made no endorsement through the primary, when more than one Republican was running. Endorsing a contested nonpartisan race takes a supermajority vote of the committee at a duly called meeting. Sarah Corona did not advance past August, and the committee's endorsement stood behind Wallace for the November ballot.