“A Right-Wing Christo-Fascist Network”: Moms for Liberty Rejected by Voters in Sweeping Losses Across the Boards

Jo ShawNov 15, 2023

Minute Read

Moms for Liberty, the conservative right-wing organization that states they are “defending parental rights,” experienced significant setbacks nationwide in recent school board elections. The group’s history of banning books, resisting racially inclusive curricula, and promoting anti-LGBTQ narratives led to sweeping losses across the board.

Candidates Lost 70% Of Elections Nationally

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The Associated Press released a recent article reporting that “the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) estimated candidates publicly endorsed by conservative groups such as Moms for Liberty and the 1776 Project lost about 70% of their races nationally in elections this week.”

Voters Rejecting an Extremist Education Agenda

The American Federation of Teachers commented on the results in a recent press release, “In red, blue, and purple states, voters across the country sent a clear and convincing message Tuesday rejecting an extremist education agenda, which censors our history, bans books, harms our students, stigmatizes trans students, LGBTQIA+ students, and educators, and students with LGBTQIA+ parents, and would give future generations fewer rights than their parents had.”

Right-Wing Hate Groups Do Not Represent Parents

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The AFT also wrote. “This election should fully and permanently retire the myth that right-wing hate groups like Moms for Liberty represent this country’s moms or parents, or that we want the candidates they support to run our school systems or our schools. We do not.”

MfL Lost in Pennsylvania and Virginia

Moms for Liberty and school board candidates with anti-trans positions suffered resounding losses nationwide, encompassing regions such as Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Linn County in Iowa, Loudoun County, Virginia, and Polk County, Florida.

Moms Can Vote Them Out

In response to the defeats, Erin Erenberg, CEO of the Chamber of Mothers, stated, “Lawmakers aren’t afraid of mothers as voters, but they will be. Last night’s victories should sound an alarm that women and mothers are paying attention and voting according to interest. As we say at the Chamber of Mothers: moms brought every lawmaker into this world, and we can vote them out.”

Protect Pennridge’s Anti-LGBTQ Message Failed

Bucks County, Pennsylvania, witnessed significant defeats as well. Within the Pennridge school district, Democrats claimed victory in all five open seats on the school board. Supporting a policy mandating that children use restrooms and join sports teams corresponding to their biological sex, the unsuccessful Republican candidates, operating under the banner of “Protect Pennridge,” had identified themselves as the fastest-growing Republican Group in Bucks County.

Virginia and Iowa Losses

In Loudoun County, Virginia, where Democrats were anticipated to maintain control of the board, three out of the four Republican candidates faced defeat. Additionally, Iowa rejected candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty in the Linn-Mar, Mount Vernon, and Cedar Rapids districts.

Equality and Freedom Wins Elections

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson stated in the AFT press release, “Tuesday’s victories send a clear message: extremism may win attention, but equality and freedom win elections.”

Equality Won at the Ballot Box

Her statement concluded, “HRC was proud to endorse pro-equality champions across the country and have staff and volunteers on the ground to mobilize Equality Voters in Virginia and Ohio. Make no mistake – equality won at the ballot box.”

Moms for Liberty Called Police on Librarians

The defeat of Moms for Liberty coincides with the right-wing group gaining attention for summoning the police on a Florida librarian in the state’s panhandle. Judd Legum, the author and founder of the Popular Information Newsletter, was the one who exposed the story.

Storm and Fury, a Felony Offense

As reported on WNMF by Chris Young, after Legum sent a public records request to police, he said he saw two people from the Moms for Liberty Group “telling a Sheriff’s deputy that there were several librarians who they believed were committing felony offenses.” The two individuals, reportedly from the Moms for Liberty Group, opposed a book called Storm and Fury being made available “to a 17-year-old student.”

It’s a Serious Crime

Legum stated from the footage that the Moms for Liberty representatives noted that the book contained content of an adult nature, which was “a serious crime.” Chris Young wrote, “The book contains minor sexual themes and was recommended for readers 14 to 18 by Barnes and Noble. The Santa Rosa Police Department referred the matter to school authorities and closed the case. However, on another complaint, nearby Milton Police Department started an investigation.”

Librarians Facing Criminal Complaints

Legum said, “That really could have a chilling effect on librarians as far as what books they are going to offer, knowing that they could be the subject of a criminal complaint, that there’s a group of people out there who are going to law enforcement, who are somehow obtaining these books, and trying to convince someone to charge librarians.”

Florida Saw Over 90 Books Banned in March

In March, Pen America listed a total of 92 book bans. “Martin County, Florida, released a list of dozens of books it had removed from school libraries, including 20 books by Jodi Picoult, nine books from James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series, and two books by Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison.”

History Repeating Itself

Banned Author Picoult highlighted that one of her singled-out books, “The Storyteller,” is a novel centered on the Holocaust, documenting the rise of anti-Semitism and fascism in Nazi Germany. She said, “There was a strange irony that a parent wanted this particular book removed because it felt a bit like history repeating itself.”

Books That Encourage Kids to Think for Themselves

“The majority of the books that were targeted do not even have a kiss in them,” the author wrote. “What they do have, however, are issues like racism, abortion rights, gun control, gay rights, and other topics that encourage kids to think for themselves,” she added.

MfL Defending Parental Rights

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Moms for Liberty has recently posted on X, “We are dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government & we are just getting started.”

A Right-Wing Christo-Fascist Network

Online users have responded to the news of the group calling the police on a Florida librarian, stating, “’Moms for Liberty’ is a right wing Christo-Fascist network bent on removing Liberty and free expression of ideas from the public sphere. Be very afraid of what they represent.” Another user stated, “Mom’s for liberty are social terrorists”