Audra Christian, like many conservative parents in Pinellas County, Florida, was staunchly opposed to school district leaders issuing a mask mandate for students during the pandemic.
But in mid-2021, dismayed by screaming matches over COVID protocols that often broke out at school board meetings, she decided to meet individually with the board members to discuss her concerns. She found them kind and professional, so she encouraged leaders of her local Moms for Liberty chapter to do the same thing.
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“I said ‘I think you’d like them,’ and they said ‘Nope, we don’t want to do that,’ ” Christian recalled. “All of a sudden, I was the bad guy. It was very polarized.”
After initially attending some of their meetings and supporting their cause, Christian cut ties with Moms for Liberty. To her, the moment demonstrated the uncompromising way the conservative group became a force in today’s Republican party. Keeping divisive issues like sexually explicit books and lessons on racial discrimination in the spotlight was a winning strategy in 2022 as Moms for Liberty-endorsed school board candidates scored victories across the country, especially in Florida where the organization originated.