Parent advocacy groups Army of Parents and Loudoun County's Moms of Liberty chapter are determined for voters in Virginia's 10th Congressional District, to recognize the importance of voting. The sold-out event, held on May 3, will be the inaugural "America Matters: The Series" event, as it discusses issues such as energy, the economy, the federal government, foreign policy, and immigration. Five of the 11 Republican candidates running to challenge Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D), and The Daily Wire's Luke Rosiak will attend the event, which will be hosted by none other than Townhall columnist Larry O'Connor.
Also of particular importance to the district, especially as it pertains to parental rights, is education and school boards. The 10th district includes the Loudoun County Public School system, which has been plagued by plenty of shenanigans. A press release from Army of Parents, Inc. referred to what's been going on as "self-induced problems."
Erin Roselle Poe, Army of Parents co-founder and vice-president, who is also one of the event's organizers said, "If we learned anything over the past two years with our local representatives on the School Board and Board of Supervisors is that elections matter. We have created this event in order to help voters know the big issues we face in our country, who these candidates are, how they think and how they plan to make our country better on a federal level."
Problems in the district include plots against parents with private Facebook groups, comparing parents to the January 6 mob, suspending a teacher who would not comply with a policy that mandated he call students by preferred pronouns, ending Public Comment in board meetings, engaging in a campaign to "silence the opposition," introducing sexually explicit reading material to students, and lowering standards of education.
The district also covered up sexual assaults by lying about the crime and moving the offender to different schools throughout the district. Students and parents who did not comply with mask mandates were treated worse, as it was revealed staff were trained on how to obtain warrants for arrest for trespassing for such offenders.
Such scandals affecting the school district and school board were a major focus of the statewide elections last November in Virginia, which resulted in Republicans winning the race for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, as well as taking control of the House of Delegates. Gov. Glenn Youngkin was the first Republican elected to the position since Bob McDonnell was elected in 2009.
These statewide races are mentioned in the press release as well.
"Loudoun County parents’ determination and commitment to their children and their well-being was the driver in winning the Office of the Governor for Glenn Youngkin and Winsome Sears, as well as the Office of the Attorney General for Jason Miyares. We are determined to do it again in November’s General Election for U.S. Congress, but we need the passion and commitment of all of the voters in VA District 10 in order to make real change," said Cheryl Onderchain, who is the founder of the Loudoun County chapter of Moms for Liberty and another event organizer.
The Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe, who served as governor from 2014-2018, continuously dismissed such issues throughout the campaign.
Although McAuliffe won Wexton's district, Youngkin nevertheless made some noteworthy gains there, and the race is still considered somewhat competitive.
Tuesday's event will include congressional candidates John Henley, Brandon Michon, Jeanine Lawson, Hung Cao, and Mike Clancy. Although the event organizers are not able to accommodate a second event, Paul Chen, the COO of Army of Parents and an event organizer encouraged those interested to check out the six remaining candidates: Caleb Max, John Beatty, Dave Beckwith, Theresa Coates Ellis, Brooke Taylor, and Jeff Mayhug.
Clancy, whom Townhall has profiled before, provided a statement for Townhall about the importance of the issue and the event. "For 75 years the Supreme Court has ruled parents are the ultimate decision makers for the care and education of their children, the Democrats have lost sight of that fundamental principle. The Republican party has become the party of the parents and families, while the Democrats have become the party of the teachers union," he said, adding that he was "Grateful or Army of Parents and the Loudoun County chapter of Moms for Liberty for their leadership in fighting for their rights as parents and their children and hosting an event focused on these critically important issues."
Join the conversation as a VIP Member