Camden "Cam" Bedinghaus
Bedinghaus, 23, is a Manatee County native and district graduate who finished an economics degree at the University of South Florida in May 2026, where he served on a campus council that allocated budgets. He directs the Turning Point USA hub in Manatee County and writes for a conservative local news outlet. He was the only District 5 candidate to qualify by petition and finished second in the Aug. 18, 2026 primary with about 34%.
Campaign finance: state and county candidates file with the Florida Division of Elections or the county Supervisor of Elections. Search contributions ↗
Sources last checked 2026-10-01. Report an error ↗
Positions on the major issues
Compare with opponents →Each entry describes what the candidate has said or done, and what they say they will do, in neutral terms with sources. The chip shows how that relates to the statement voters rate in the matching tool.
Taxes & spending Leans disagree· stated position
At the Oct. 1 League forum Bedinghaus said he supported the 2024 one-mill school property tax and expects some level of renewal, while first putting returned tax money toward teacher bonuses and cutting programs that are not producing results.
"Yeah, I supported it"
Education & school choice Leans agree· stated position
At the Oct. 1 League forum Bedinghaus said parents have the ultimate right to choose where their children go to school and called Florida's school choice a gift, while saying the district must make its public schools the best choice so families come back.
"they have the ultimate right of where their children go to school. And that's an amazing thing, amazing gift we have here in Florida"
Library and classroom materials Leans agree· stated position
At the Oct. 1 League forum Bedinghaus said sexually explicit or otherwise age-inappropriate material should be removed, noting parents can still buy such books themselves. His campaign site says parents and teachers, rather than bureaucrats or activists, should decide what happens in the classroom.
"then I don't see a problem with removing that."
Teacher and staff pay Leans agree· stated position
Bedinghaus proposes teacher bonuses tied to student progress, to be paid by redirecting money from district programs that are not producing results and, he said at the Oct. 1 League forum, from about $2.4 million the county returned to the district.
"I plan on introducing incentive based bonuses based on student progress."
No public position found on 3 issues
We searched campaign sites, questionnaires, interviews, votes and official actions and did not find a clear stance on: Property taxes, Gender identity laws, School safety approach. This is reported as unknown rather than guessed from party affiliation; these issues are excluded from this candidate's match score.
Other issues this candidate has raised
- Political advocacy in schools — Asked about his political work, Bedinghaus said his personal beliefs are conservative but described his reasons for running as apolitical.
- Real-world skills — His platform calls for teaching personal finance, basic economics, budgeting and practical life skills, and for a parent portal with performance and school information.Sources: Cam for School Board (2026-09)
- Reading and literacy — Bedinghaus says nearly half of district students cannot read at grade level and that on his first day he would ask the board to declare a reading emergency, expand early intervention and adopt practices from higher-performing districts.
- Financial and life skills — Bedinghaus says schools should teach personal finance, basic economics, budgeting and other practical life skills so graduates can manage money and build stability.
Endorsements (as reported)
- Manatee Patriots
- America First Party of Florida
- Stand for Health Freedom