Candidates backed by conspiracy theorist get crushed in primary: School board president says voters put an end to ‘manufactured chaos’ at board meetings

Voters in the June 11 primary election overwhelmingly rejected nearly all of the candidates formally endorsed by a Reno Republican donor and election conspiracy theorist—a result that critics said underlines voters’ disgust with fringe ideology and campaign smear tactics.

“Locally and statewide, the takeaway is that voters are apparently paying attention,” said Fred Lokken, political science professor at Truckee Meadows Community College. “They sense frustration and concern and corrected that by supporting candidates that weren’t tied to controversy.”

Robert Beadles, a GOP activist and election fraud conspiracy promoter, formally endorsed 12 primary candidates in state and local contests, including four in Washoe County School District Board of Trustees races. He dubbed those candidates “Washoe Warriors”—and 11 of them lost by wide margins. Only one, Brian Cassidy, will advance to the general election in a Reno City Council race, where he will face Devon Reese in Ward 5. A few other candidates who Beadles supported or donated to, but didn’t formally endorse, also will be on the ballot on Nov. 5.

Beadles is a proponent of the “precinct strategy,” aimed at electing “little Trump 2.0s” to local governing boards. He told the RN&R in 2022 that anyone who says our elections are free and fair are either corrupt or cowards. Beadles’ claims of fraud have been repeatedly debunked by investigations and rejected by courts.

His supporters say he is fighting against corrupt left-wing politicians, systemic election fraud and “RINOS” (Republicans in name only). His critics see him as a right-wing provocateur who spreads disinformation and false narratives in an effort to create anger among voters and undermine confidence in elections.

Beadles, who moved to Reno from California in 2019, put the Washoe County school board on notice after his arrival: “God has blessed me,” he told the board members during a public comment session. “I have a shit-ton of money, and I’m going to do everything I fucking can to remove all of you.” He had a similar message for the Washoe County Commission at its March 8, 2022, meeting: “I have no problem spending millions of dollars to replace you all … we’ve got to get our county back.”

Since then, Beadles has been recruiting and endorsing state and local candidates who align with his opinions, and attacking incumbents on his Operation Sunlight blog and through his PAC, The Franklin Project. He rails against what he sees as “rigged” elections, has filed several unsuccessful lawsuits against Washoe County officials and others, and employs innuendo and sometimes vulgar attacks against politicians and government employees. He calls them radical leftists and/or criminals, portrays them in various costumes, and spreads rumors about their personal lives.

Beadles did not respond to the Reno News & Review’s requests for an interview.

Church loses school board seat 

In the primary, four of the candidates he endorsed for seats on the Washoe County school board lost by decisive margins, including incumbent District A board member Jeff Church. Church, elected to the panel in 2020, was often at odds with the other six board members and has sued the district twice. He lost his seat to Christine Hull, a former teacher who also did volunteer work for the district. Hull got 55% of the vote; Church garnered 34%. Primary candidates who get at least 51% of the vote win outright and don’t have to face an opponent in the general election.

In the primary, four of the candidates he endorsed for seats on the Washoe County school board lost by decisive margins, including incumbent District A board member Jeff Church. Church, elected to the panel in 2020, was often at odds with the other six board members and has sued the district twice. He lost his seat to Christine Hull, a former teacher who also did volunteer work for the district. Hull got 55% of the vote; Church garnered 34%. Primary candidates who get at least 51% of the vote win outright and don’t have to face an opponent in the general election.

“There was intelligence demonstrated in the voting,” Lokken said. “The voting was very directed this time. … It was a motivated group (of voters), and the election took place the way it was supposed to. Christine Hull was rewarded for her efforts as a volunteer with elected office. You don’t see much of that anymore.”

In an email exchange with the RN&R, Church noted that the winning board candidates had much more money in their campaign chests. Although he had Beadles’ endorsement, Church said, the activist didn’t donate to his campaign. During his tenure, Church said, “quality of education, student safety and at-risk kids was my passion.” His absence on the panel will mean that the “downward spiral” of local schools will accelerate, he said.

At board meetings, Church also raised objections to policies affecting transgender students, the district’s sex-education curriculum, and its equity and diversity strategy—which he says fosters “race shaming.” He was a favorite of protestors who attended board meetings to complain about COVID-19 mask mandates, library books they considered inappropriate for students, and other issues embraced by right-wing activists at school board meetings across the country.

Church’s conflicts with other panel members, inaccurate statements about the district and sidetracking the board with “culture wars” issues accounts for his poor showing in the primary, said Reno resident Richard Jay. Jay has been active in local boards and civic associations for 30 years, and has been the self-appointed “Jeff Church watchdog” since 2020.

“The voters spoke clearly,” Jay said. “They are tired of (Church’s) antics. They are tired of him costing the district $500,000 to defend against his legal actions. They are tired of half-truths. … The voters have said, ‘enough is enough.’”

People reject the “chaos at the school board,” Jay said, and “they want things to calm down and get back to work. That’s the message of the primary.”

Vulgar attacks on candidates 

Beadles’ blog and PAC, on internet postings and via direct mail, attacked candidates by depicting them in costume, and often describing them as leftist pawns in a vast conspiracy involving politicians, courts and the media. He dubbed Elizabeth Smith, the incumbent school board president and a cancer survivor, “Death Smith,” and depicted her as the grim reaper. He also uses the “Death Smith” nickname for her on social media.

On June 6, for example, in a reference to Smith, who is involved in a court case with her former husband, Beadles wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “So Death Smith is not only an alleged lying whore who destroyed her husband’s life, she’s also alleged to have helped frame school board trustee Jeff Church with a fabricated sexual harassment claim. … The few people who do defend her must be lying whores as well? She’s running for re-election. People wonder what’s wrong with our schools. … Let’s pray she doesn’t win.”

She won in a landslide five days later. Smith, who was appointed to the District D board seat in July 2021, kept the post in a 2022 special election by winning 67% of the vote against two opponents. In the recent primary, Smith tallied 61% of the vote against four challengers, again winning outright without having to face a runoff in November.

“With an absolute, outright win in three of the four races, and shutting out the (Beadles-backed) candidate in the District B race, there is no confusion whatsoever about what our community and our neighbors expect of us, and that’s to get back to work on public education and close the chapter on this manufactured chaos that has been Jeff Church and Robert Beadles,” Smith said.

Chris Tabarez, who was endorsed by Beadles, came in fourth in the District D school board race with 8% of the vote against Smith. Incumbent Alex Woodley won District E outright with 52% of the vote against Beadles-backed candidate Beverley Stenehjem, who got 33%. In District G, incumbent Diane Nicolet got 17% of the vote and will face challenger Perry Rosenstein, who garnered 35% of the ballots. Paul White, endorsed by Beadles, got 12%.

Smith said the smear campaign against her was disgusting, but she had faith that voters would not be swayed by lies and insults.

“I understand that politics can be heated, and there are passions and beliefs involved, but it never has to be so dirty and depraved,” Smith said. “We’re watching personal attacks against people who are our neighbors go out on a grand scale. It doesn’t have to be that way, and only a community can set those standards.”

Smith said the outcome of the school board elections and other local races “is the community weighing in loud and clear, setting its standards for decency in Washoe County.” The new composition of the board, regardless of who wins the District G race in November, will change the atmosphere of the meetings, she said.

“We’ve had (Church), who has been trying to burn the house down from the inside for nearly four years,” Smith said. “… It’s a new day for the Washoe County school board. In January, we’ll have seven members who are all different in ways that are important and who respect the differences. We can get back to rigorous dialogue, respectful discussion and the way government is supposed to be. That’s because of the community, which in this election said we want a functional, productive, professional board—and that’s exactly what this community is going to get on swearing-in day 2025.”