One District 20 resident recently described an encounter that says a lot about D20 candidate Holly Tripp, and even more about who she’s running with.
While collecting signatures for her school board run, Tripp was asked about her platform. She began with generic remarks about “reading and math,” but when pressed, the specifics were telling:
- Ban cell phones in classrooms
- Block transgender athletes from competing
- Purge “pornography” from school libraries, though she couldn’t name a single title in D20
- Stop teaching “controversial subjects”, citing only a secondhand story about a child saying “driving a car kills a polar bear” as proof of “climate indoctrination”
That was the entirety of her platform.
Running With Susan Payne
When asked which board member she most closely identifies with, Tripp was clear: she is running with Susan Payne.
That alignment is revealing. Payne has already used her law enforcement resume and Safe2Tell background as political cover while advancing discriminatory, divisive policies that have nothing to do with actual classroom learning. By tying herself to Payne, Tripp is signaling that her priorities will follow the same track: importing national talking points instead of addressing real local challenges.
- Payne has backed efforts framed as “protecting kids” that in reality target vulnerable students.
- Tripp echoes that script, repeating the same hollow claims about “pornography” and “indoctrination.”
- Neither offers solutions for transportation, teacher retention, or deferred maintenance, the real issues families raise year after year.
Selective Amnesia, or Something Worse?
Perhaps most concerning, Tripp denied knowing anything about Moms for Liberty, Aaron Salt, or the controversies consuming the D20 board. That leaves voters with only two options: either she is withholding the truth about her connections, or she is genuinely unaware of the district she’s campaigning to govern.
Why This Matters
District 20 doesn’t need more board members chasing national headlines. It needs leaders willing to deal with local realities. Instead, D20 candidate Holly Tripp is running hand-in-hand with Susan Payne, carrying the same baggage: vagueness, misplaced outrage, and political theater.
Voters deserve better than candidates who talk about polar bears while ignoring classrooms.