Moms vs. culture wars: How suburban women flipped school boards

February 10, 2026

School board elections in November 2024 saw a significant shift toward progressive candidates, with 71% of "common sense" candidates winning competitive races while 62% of "extremist" candidates lost, according to an analysis by Red Wine & Blue. This represents a reversal from previous cycles when conservative candidates focused on culture war issues like book bans and critical race theory swept these boards. Progressive challengers, many of them first-time female candidates and educators, campaigned on traditional education priorities like curriculum and teacher support rather than divisive social issues.

Who is affected

Progressive school board candidates (71% won competitive races, two-thirds were challengers, over half were women)
Conservative/extremist school board candidates (62% lost their elections)
Moms for Liberty (only 17 candidates won nationwide)
Three newly elected educators in Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District: Lesley Guilmart, Cleveland Lane Jr., and Kendra Camarena
Conservative incumbents backed by Patriot Mobile Action in Cypress-Fairbanks (lost their races)
Two out of three union-affiliated candidates in Colorado Springs (won their races)
Students in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District (roughly 118,000 students)
LGBTQ+ students previously targeted by far-right policies
Students without legal status and their families (experiencing decreased school attendance due to immigration enforcement concerns)
Teachers and librarians (some positions were eliminated under previous boards)
Voters in Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Colorado

What action is being taken

Red Wine & Blue, a network of over 700,000 suburban women, is working to influence politics at the grassroots level
Thousands of people, primarily women, are organizing on the ground to create change in their communities
Texas Freedom Network is advocating for religious freedom, civil liberties, and public education
The Colorado Springs Education Association is engaging members in school board elections

Why it matters

This shift in school board composition matters because it signals a potential end to the culture war era in local education politics and a return to focusing on academic fundamentals. The results suggest voters are rejecting outside political influence and well-funded campaigns from national conservative groups in favor of local educators and parents who prioritize educational outcomes over divisive social issues. If this trend continues into the 2026 midterms, it could reshape education policy away from polarizing topics like critical race theory and gender identity toward curriculum development, teacher support, and student achievement. The victories also demonstrate the effectiveness of grassroots organizing against well-funded opposition and may indicate broader dissatisfaction with the current political climate that could impact candidates at all levels.

What's next

School board policies may move away from polarizing issues back to education fundamentals like curriculum, instruction, and teacher professional development (contingent on trends repeating in midterms)
The 2026 midterm elections will test whether this progressive shift continues
Democrats are expected to show up at higher rates than Republicans in 2026, similar to 2018 and 2022 patterns
Outrage over immigration enforcement could impact the types of issues that become salient in communities with large populations of students without legal status
If Trump's approval ratings remain low through November 2026, candidates affiliated with the Republican Party are predicted to pay a price at the ballot box

Read full article from source: The 19th