Updating Sunday's report on the Hillsborough County School Board races:
Scott Hottenstein, one of six candidates for the at-large seat that will be vacated by April Griffin, informs us that he is now a Democrat.
After years as a Republican, Hottenstein changed his affiliation on May 24, according to a voter card that his campaign provided.
Why the change?
"I came to realize that my values and views on education were more closely aligned with the Democratic Party," Hottenstein said. These include education funding, the support of teachers' unions, and "keeping guns out of the classroom," he said, adding, "I've always been a moderate."
That leaves the group split about half-and-half between Democrats and Republicans. The elections are nonpartisan. However, with sharp ideological differences between the state's Republican leadership and advocates of public education, the Tampa Bay Times is exploring the candidates' political orientation.
More news from the campaign trail: Bill Person, who had been in the same District 6 group as Hottenstein, told the Times that early Monday afternoon, he filed to run in District 1 instead. That race, so far against Steve Cona, will decide the replacement for incumbent Susan Valdes, who is running for the state House of Representatives.