Virginia just swore in its new governor, Republican Glenn Youngkin, and on this edition of “Family Matters” we evaluate his come-from-behind victory and what role empowered parents of schoolchildren played in his campaign.
Concerns about lockdowns, the intersectional turn in Virginia’s schools, the status of gifted and talented programs, and school safety were all key elements in being able to wrest the executive mansion from the incumbent party.
The nation saw this play out in the center of Virginia, as parents in one local school were bewildered and disturbed by a new curriculum that encouraged their children to view themselves through the prisms of race, gender, sexuality and class, as well as injected phrases like “white privilege” and “non-Christian folx” into the classroom.
Parents were additionally turbocharged when Democratic challenger Terry McAuliffe said, “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” Youngkin’s popularity surged among voters who said education was their biggest issue. The rest is history.
Now, given these dynamics, what should Gov. Youngkin and Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears do to make good on their mandate from parents?
Joining us in the discussion are Ian Rowe, the cofounder of Vertex Partnership Academies; Max Eden, a research fellow at AEI; and Kim Richey, the Distinguished Education Fellow at Parents Defending Education.
Brad Wilcox is director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, senior fellow of the Institute for Family Studies and a Deseret News contributor.