Moms For Liberty’s School Board Takeover Attempts Fizzled Out On Election Day

This blog originally appeared at Yahoo News.

The outcomes of an election cycle, often seen as a precursor to the 2024 elections, spell trouble for the group’s extremely conservative platform.

Moms for Liberty, the far-right organization advocating for a conservative approach in public education, sought to gain control of school boards nationwide in Tuesday’s elections. However, their efforts to elect sympathetic candidates in school districts in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Iowa did not succeed.

The group gained national prominence in 2020 during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, when conservative parents were vocally opposing mask mandates in schools. While they show less concern for conventional public school issues such as teacher retention and funding, Moms for Liberty advocates for anti-LGBTQ policies, including restrictions on transgender students’ bathroom use and the removal of books addressing racial justice or LGBTQ themes from school libraries. In recent years, members of this group have actively worked to influence school board elections nationwide, aiming to reshape U.S. public schools in line with right-wing evangelical ideals.

Despite some successes in smaller and rural districts, Moms for Liberty candidates faced significant challenges in suburban areas. The group’s performance in Ohio was particularly lackluster. In Hamilton County, which encompasses Cincinnati and has a population of over 800,000, just two out of eight Moms for Liberty-endorsed candidates emerged victorious. Similarly, in Franklin County, where Columbus is situated, only two of the group’s eight supported candidates secured wins.

In Stark County, which supported Donald Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, Moms for Liberty’s performance was even more disappointing. Only one of their nine endorsed candidates emerged victorious.

Across the border in the swing state of Pennsylvania, Moms for Liberty endorsed numerous candidates in school board races. While some candidates in smaller, rural districts achieved success, the broader outcome showed more liberal or Democrat-backed candidates prevailing. In Bucks County, located outside Philadelphia, Moms for Liberty and other right-wing groups had been working to place conservative candidates on the school board in the Central Bucks and Pennridge districts. However, Democratic candidates won both races instead.

Even in traditionally Republican-leaning Iowa, Moms for Liberty faced disappointing results. The group endorsed 13 candidates across four counties, but only one candidate secured a win, and that was in a very small, rural district.

This outcome bodes poorly for Moms for Liberty’s aspirations of expanding its message nationwide in 2024. This year’s elections served as a significant indicator of what to anticipate in 2024, which is likely to feature a presidential rematch between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Much has evolved since the last Trump-Biden showdown in 2020: the Supreme Court has rolled back federal abortion protections, a right-wing anti-LGBTQ+ agenda is gaining traction, and the teaching of topics related to race and racism in schools has become a deeply political issue.

Moms for Liberty’s lackluster performance in the elections suggests that the much-touted conservative “war on woke” might not be resonating with voters.

For instance, let’s examine the group’s performance in Loudoun County, Virginia, a place where MFL directed significant attention. This county had evolved into a nationwide symbol of how culture wars are influencing public education. The local schools faced considerable controversy starting in 2021 when a student was accused of committing sexual assault at two different high schools.

Conservatives made unfounded allegations that the accused perpetrator was transgender. These claims fueled right-wing rhetoric that infiltrated the school district, resulting in heated school board meetings. These confrontations received significant attention from right-wing news outlets and thrust the Virginia county into the national spotlight.

In the school board election held on Tuesday, all nine seats were contested, and despite Moms for Liberty endorsing four candidates, only one emerged victorious. Consequently, liberals secured a 6-3 majority on the county school board.

Moms for Liberty has garnered backing from prominent Republicans, including Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, who based his successful 2021 campaign on “parental rights,” and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been echoing right-wing culture war rhetoric in his pursuit of the White House.

Parental rights, which have largely centered on the right to control what children learn about sexuality or race at any age, appear to be the focal point that Moms for Liberty believes will lead to success for its candidates.

However, the actual policies advocated by groups like Moms for Liberty seem to be politically unpopular. While MFL often criticizes teachers as being “woke” or accuses them of inappropriate conduct, polling suggests that parents are generally content with their children’s schools. Additionally, despite MFL’s support for book bans and stricter limitations on teachers’ speech in the classroom, most parents oppose such measures.

Focusing on transgender students has been a central concern for many candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty (MFL). However, despite divisions among Americans regarding gender-affirming care for transgender youth and transgender athletes participating on teams aligned with their gender identities, most voters disapprove of political attacks on transgender individuals, as indicated by polls.

Following an underwhelming performance from culture war candidates in both 2022 and recent elections, it’s evident that portraying public school teachers as adversaries and Moms for Liberty as the sole saviors of students is not the victorious strategy that MFL and other conservatives had hoped for.