I don't know how surprising it was, actually, other than that the votes to recall each board member were as overwhelming as they were (all >70% to recall). As the Youngkin victory indicated, harming Libs' children is a good way to get rejected by many Libs. Keeping schools shut down, jamming racist CRT crap down students' throats, and wasting $$ on renaming schools and trying to obliterate a historical mural all were factors. One of the board members, years ago, also basically derided Asians as acting white to get ahead (in a city whose Chinatown dates to the Gold Rush!).