Republicans are drawing voters' focus onto the issue of parents' rights over their children as the upcoming midterm elections approach, The Hill reports.
The Hill notes that Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin's successful campaign last year, which included a focus on parents having a say in how LGBTQ issues are handled in schools as well as mask mandates and remote learning, helped convince Republicans that this was a significant issue in voters' minds.
Jessica Anderson, who heads the conservative group Heritage Action, told the news outlet that "parents want education, not indoctrination, and we should expect this movement to have a major impact in the midterm elections.
"This is one of many issues causing voters to support conservatives — the same people who care about education care about others like inflation and crime."
Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel wrote in a recent opinion piece: "Whether it's unscientific lockdowns and mask mandates, destructive ideologies, or an open border that's allowing 'rainbow' fentanyl targeting children to pour into our country, Democrats consistently put their special interests first, and our kids suffer for it."
"All parents want to see their children be successful and live in a free country and be proud to be American," Tiffany Justice, who co-founded the conservative nonprofit Moms for Liberty, said in an interview with Newsweek earlier this month. "2022 is the year of the parent. You have an increase in an extremely informed voting bloc of parents, and I think it's going to be a change-maker in the midterms."
Ailen Arreaza, one of the heads of the progressive nonprofit ParentsTogether, noted that "parents are a really powerful voting bloc. Your identity as a parent really defines so many of the decisions that you make, from what you buy, where you live, and who you vote for."
She added: "It's important for Democrats to really tap into the parent identity, to speak specifically and directly to parents in the same way that Republicans and conservatives have been doing, with real solutions about what families need."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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