When the group held its inaugural summit in Tampa last year, it hosted speeches by DeSantis and his wife, Casey, presenting the governor with a “liberty sword.”Īnd though the group is a 501(c)4 nonprofit that doesn’t have to disclose its donors, there are other glimpses of how powerful Republicans have helped fuel its rise. Ziegler appeared behind DeSantis in photographs of the latter bill’s signing ceremony. Moms for Liberty had loudly advocated both pieces of legislation. In 2022, he signed a law barring instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through the third grade, a ban opponents had labeled the “Don’t Say Gay” bill and which has since been extended through 12th grade. In 2021, he signed Florida’s “Parents Bill of Rights,” which identified parents’ rights to direct their kids’ education and health care and was used to fight local student mask mandates. The group also has quickly gained a close ally in DeSantis. Marie Rogerson, who took Ziegler’s place on the Moms for Liberty board, is an experienced political strategist who had previously managed the 2018 campaign of Florida state Rep. Still a school board member in Sarasota County, she also is a director at the Leadership Institute, a conservative organization that regularly trains Moms for Liberty members. Moms for Liberty pitches itself as a nonpartisan, grassroots effort started by passionate parents who call themselves “joyful warriors.” Yet the group’s close ties to Republican organizations, donors and politicians raise questions about partisanship and doubts over how grassroots it really is.Ĭo-founder Ziegler, who stepped down from the board in late 2021 but remains supportive of the group, is married to the chairman of the Florida Republican Party. In 2022, just over half the 500 candidates it endorsed for school boards nationwide won their races, Justice said. The group also has sought to elect like-minded candidates to school boards. It has expanded its activism in local school districts to target books it says are inappropriate or “anti-American,” ban instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity, require teachers to disclose students’ pronouns to parents, and remove diversity, equity and inclusion programs from schools. In two years, the organization has ballooned to 285 chapters across 44 states, Justice said. The group was founded in 2021 by Tiffany Justice, Tina Descovich and Bridget Ziegler, all current and former school board members in Florida who were unhappy with student mask and quarantine policies during the pandemic. It also spotlights Republicans’ eagerness to embrace a group that has drawn backlash for spreading anti-LGBTQ+ ideas and stripping libraries and classrooms of diverse material. The high interest in the event underscores how fights surrounding gender and race have become core issues for Republican voters.
Kennedy Jr., a fringe Democrat known for pushing anti-vaccine conspiracy theories.
Tim Scott of South Carolina and Robert F. The group said it is in talks to bring others to the conference, including Republican Sen. Ambassador Nikki Haley and biotech entrepreneur and “anti-woke” activist Vivek Ramaswamy have announced they will speak at the meeting at the end of June.
(Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP, File)įormer President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Moms for Liberty was founded in 2021 by Tiffany Justice, Tina Descovich and Bridget Ziegler, all current and former school board members in Florida who were unhappy with student mask and quarantine policies during the pandemic. FILE - Members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board of Supervisors listen to special general counsel Daniel Langley outline a resolution to invalidate Disney's final agreement with the previous board, the Reedy Creek Improvement District, Wednesday, ApFrom left, Michael Sasso Bridget Ziegler chairman Martin Garcia and Brian Aungst, Jr.
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