Most Moms for Liberty, Republican-backed candidates defeated in Iowa school board elections
A progressive wave swept across the Des Moines suburbs in high-profile school board races on Nov. 7 as voters rejected conservative-endorsed candidates.
Left-leaning activists say they are both elated and relieved. They view the results as a repudiation of the Republican-controlled Legislature's sweeping changes in education law. Republicans, however, are quick to note that the results came in a low turnout election and contend they don't reflect a rejection of their "parents matter" focus.
School board elections are nonpartisan, but they have taken a heated political turn in the Des Moines metro in recent years as Republicans have passed laws that impact LGBTQ students and transform Iowa's schools with restrictions on what books students can read, what they can learn in the classroom, what restroom they can use and what names they can be called. Elected officials promoted certain slates, and partisan political groups spent thousands of dollars to support their preferred candidates this year — some for the first time.
More: See election results from your central Iowa city or school district in 2023
The results were mixed in the 2021 school board elections, fought against a backdrop of COVID-19 school policies and controversy over how racial issues should be taught. Conservatives swept in Ankeny and Johnston that year, but they were shut out in Waukee.
But the unofficial 2023 results were an unambiguous win for Democrats and progressive groups in the Des Moines metro, central Iowa and elsewhere in the state. Democratic-backed slates were victorious in districts such as Johnston, Ankeny and West Des Moines.
Few of the candidates promoted by area Republican legislators such as Rep. Eddie Andrews, R-Johnston, and Rep. Dan Gehlbach, R-Urbandale, managed to win a seat. Just one of the 13 candidates endorsed statewide by Moms for Liberty, a group that lobbied for the education law changes, won their race.
“I think it's clear legislative leadership and Gov. Reynolds are on notice” that parents are tired of their children being used as “political pawns,” said Damian Thompson, a spokesperson for Iowa Safe Schools, an advocacy group for LGBTQ students. “Our organization would hope that the Legislature takes notice and course corrects to the issues that are actually affecting real Iowans instead of these cheap political side shows."
Iowa's results were reflected in several other states. A little over a third of the candidates endorsed by Moms for Liberty won their races on Tuesday, the group reported. Conservative PAC the 1776 Project said 58% of the candidates it endorsed — many of them in conservative areas — won.
Many central Iowa candidates supported by progressives have indicated they would favor narrowly interpreting new state laws that ban certain books while striving to support students, including those who identify as LGBTQ.
"These students can see they have a group of people who have their backs," especially after a legislative session that taxed students' mental health, said Keenan Crow, policy and advocacy director for One Iowa Action, a group that advocates for LGBTQ Iowans.
The results also vindicate One Iowa's policy positions on book bans and LGBTQ inclusivity, Crow said, adding that school boards with newly elected progressive members could be more likely to make sure students have access to gender-neutral restrooms and information about HPV and AIDS, the teaching of which is now optional under Iowa law.
The Iowa Standard, a conservative publication, attributed the loss to Republicans' distraction with the 2024 Iowa Caucuses. And state Rep. Skyler Wheeler, R-Hull, posted on Facebook that the results don't mean "voters are rejecting our sweeping education reforms."
"Conservatives didn’t turn out anywhere to vote last night across the nation," he said. "That’s a bigger issue for the GOP, but, as the Chair of the Education Committee, I am not going to stop protecting the innocence of our kids, putting parents first and fighting indoctrination in our schools because the Left went all in and the Right fell asleep yesterday."
Iowa Democrats feel vindicated; Republicans say not so fast
Despite school board candidates not having a "D" or an "R" next to their names on the ballot, politicians and party organizations took to social media, the mailbox and the front porch to promote candidates registered with their party or independents in line with their values.
Rita Hart, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, said in a statement that Iowans sent a message about their love for public schools that she hopes they will carry with them to the ballot box in 2024.
"This is a big win for Iowans who believe every student should have access to a quality public school education. The greatest investment Iowa can make is in our children because they are our next generation of leaders, small business owners, farmers, and more," Hart said. "The candidates who won their elections last night are the future of the Iowa Democratic Party. I will do everything I can to make sure they have the resources they need to be excellent public servants and keep their seats to build on their success."
But Iowa Republicans are quick to point out that turnout was down from a red wave in the 2022 general election, when Republicans strengthened their majorities in the Legislature and Gov. Kim Reynolds won in a landslide. City and school elections like those on Nov. 7 typically have lower turnout than cycles that include state and Congressional seats.
"Iowa Democrats shouldn't get giddy spinning yesterday's results," Jeff Kaufmann, chair of the Iowa Republican Party, said in a statement. "They are still a super minority in this state and will be as long as they continue to defend Joe Biden. Republicans’ 'parents matter'-focused agenda won resoundingly with Governor Reynolds, winning by 19 points and historic majorities in the legislature" in 2022.
Official turnout won't be available until county supervisors certify results, but a Des Moines Register review of vote totals in 2023 and 2021 found:
In Ankeny in 2021, progressive or left-leaning candidates received, on average, 1,298 votes less than conservative competitors.
As a group, Ankeny's conservative-backed candidates lost an average of 2,527 votes from 2021 to 2023.
Johnston's conservatives received about the same number of votes in 2021 and 2023.
As a group, Johnston's winning progressive slate in 2023 gained 2,204 more votes, on average, than the losing candidates in 2021.
Almost all Moms for Liberty-endorsed candidates defeated
Moms for Liberty, the conservative group with growing influence in elections and Republican politics over education policy, chimed in on the race with endorsements for school board candidates in Johnston, West Des Moines, Dallas Center-Grimes, Indianola, Interstate 35, Carroll, Linn Mar, Cedar Rapids and Marion. The winning candidate ran in the Interstate 35 Community School District, a rural district 40 miles south of Des Moines.
Moms for Liberty is connected to nationwide legislative efforts to restrict or remove books and curriculum about race and LGBTQ topics or with sexual content. The Southern Poverty Law Center has labeled it an anti-government extremist organization. Moms for Liberty says it strives to defend parental rights, oppose government overreach and protect children. It has close ties to Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has publicly endorsed the group.
More: School board candidate wanted West Des Moines investigated for child porn over two books
Jenn Turner, chair of the Moms For Liberty Polk County Chapter, feels the electoral shift was due to recent laws impacting education, which she said is making parents more comfortable with what is happening inside of schools.
"Students use bathrooms and locker rooms based on their biological sex. Boys cannot play in girls sports," Turner said. “And sexually explicit books were removed from classrooms and school libraries across the state, and gender identity cannot be taught in K-6 classrooms.
"Our opponents did a good job in misinformation campaigns, telling the public that ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and other classics were being removed, when in fact, only books that had graphic depictions of sex acts or books suggesting porn sites were removed. Parents are comfortable and sat on the sidelines for this off-year election," she said.
An ongoing Register investigation shows school districts across Iowa have pulled at least 540 book titles off shelves to comply with the new law. The Register has not documented any cases of "To Kill a Mockingbird" being challenged or banned in an Iowa school since August 2020, when its tracking started, nor is it aware of the novel being on a watchlist of books in Iowa school districts, which have been navigating Senate File 496 without guidance from the Iowa Department of Education.
The books removed since the law took effect range from controversial LGBTQ memoirs with sexual content, such as "Gender Queer" and "All Boys Aren't Blue"; classic novels "1984" and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"; popular young adult novels "Looking for Alaska" and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower"; and children's books with LGBTQ themes, such as "When Aidan Became a Brother."
Turner believes everyone who ran had student and staff interests in mind, but what they hoped to accomplish varied.
"We just have different views on what it looks like," she said. "Our candidates believe that parents have a fundamental right in the upbringing of their children. We want to focus on getting Iowa back to the top in education in every district. Our focus is on reading, writing, math and science."
Turner said the group's goal is to get away from culture wars and return schools to getting students college- and/or career-ready.
A slate of four candidates endorsed by The Family Leader, an influential conservative Christian organization led by Bob Vander Plaats, lost in Johnston. It was the first time the group had formally endorsed school board candidates. A spokesperson for the group did not respond to requests for comment.
Voters fed up with rhetoric, new laws and book bans, left-leaning organizers say
Organizers for progressives and Democrats said the results show that voters are concerned and upset about the legislative changes in Iowa and the rhetoric coming from conservative activists about schools and education.
C.J. Petersen, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party Stonewall Caucus, emphasized that conservative-backed candidates lost even in cities in rural areas like Carroll.
"(The Nov. 7) election results really showed that Iowans don't have an appetite for some of the more extreme rhetoric that's coming out of the Moms for Liberty side of things," Petersen said.
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Mitch Henry, chair of the Iowa Unity Coalition, said the results were a clear win for progressives and could bode well for legislative elections in 2024. The coalition is an independent organization that promotes ideals such as worker rights, guaranteed health care for all and "quality and safe preK-12 education."
The election results mean "parents of LGBTQ youth, especially transgender youth, don't have to be as concerned about sending their kids to public schools and being bullied," Henry said. "We don't have to worry about hundreds and hundreds of books in our libraries being banned. We can put the brakes on that to a degree."
He said it's important for progressives to keep up their work in future elections.
"We can't just stop here," Henry said. "We can't just stand still."
USA TODAY and Des Moines Register data visualization specialist Tim Webber contributed to this story.
Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.
Samantha Hernandez covers education for the Register. Reach her at (515) 851-0982 or svhernandez@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @svhernandez or Facebook at facebook.com/svhernandezreporter.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Most Moms for Liberty-backed candidates lose in Iowa school elections
