Matt Foust narrowly defeated incumbent Tammy Nakamura in one of the most hard-fought and high-turnout school board races in recent Grapevine-Colleyville ISD history.
Foust secured 6,016 votes, or 51.34%, to Nakamura’s 5,701 votes, or 48.66%, in the Place 3 contest—a margin of just 315 votes out of 11,717 cast, according to unofficial results posted on the school district’s website.
In a statement following his victory, Foust said on Facebook, “This victory belongs to the GCISD community, especially our students and educators. Voters unequivocally told outside forces that our District isn’t for sale and that we will define our own values. The next few weeks will be dedicated to writing thank you notes—there are too many people to recognize here. I am grateful to everyone who gave of their time, talents, and energy.”
Nakamura posted to Facebook:
While it’s not the outcome we wanted, I wish my opponent and our incredible GCISD district great success!
To those of you who trusted me with your vote, thank you.
You always know where I stand.
I stand for the:
SUCCESS of our Students
SUPPORT for our Teachers
STEWARDSHIP of our Taxpayer dollars
Though officially nonpartisan, the matchup between Foust and Nakamura became a proxy war between competing political ideologies and donor networks. Foust’s campaign drew support from activists aligned with Democratic causes, including organizers from Indivisible, an organization connected to George Soros’s Open Society Foundation.
Nakamura was supported by Patriot Mobile Action, a political action committee that champions Christian conservative values and has poured resources into school board elections across Texas.
Though the race was technically for a single trustee seat, its outcome drew regional and national interest due to the sharp ideological contrast between the candidates.
Foust, 40, is a lawyer for BNSF Railway and has never held public office before. While his public messaging leaned centrist—highlighting faith, education, and community—his campaign was staffed by left-leaning figures, including a former Green Party candidate as manager and activists with LGBTQIA+ advocacy backgrounds, The Dallas Express previously reported.
Nakamura, first elected to Colleyville City Council in 2016, made international headlines for supporting one of the earliest reopenings in Texas during the COVID-19 pandemic. Elected to the GCISD board in 2022, she helped usher in sweeping policy changes, including restrictions on Critical Race Theory, limitations on gender identity policies, and a focus on academic fundamentals like phonics, DX reported.
The campaign became emblematic of a broader battle in school boards across Texas and the nation, where traditionally, local issues such as curriculum, library books, and budget oversight are increasingly shaped by national culture war dynamics and outside money.
The Grapevine-Colleyville school district, which has grown rapidly in recent decades, serves a student population straddling two communities that have developed distinct characters. While Colleyville has leaned staunchly Republican, Grapevine has become more purple. The two areas, which were still rural when they joined into a single school district in 1962, now frequently find themselves at odds over educational priorities and political philosophy.