Despite a significant increase in funding, Moms for Liberty, a conservative parental rights group labeled an extremist group, has seen a drastic downturn in its success rate in recent school board elections. In 2022, the group reported a 500% growth in revenue, reaching over $2 million, with a substantial part of this income coming from donations and contributions. This financial upsurge enabled the organization to expand its reach and influence, including hosting events like the Joyful Warrior Summit and increasing its charitable solicitation filings across multiple states.
According to their latest tax filings with the IRS, they went from raising a total of $370,029 last year to $2,143,436 this year. They spent $364,697 on salaries alone this year, almost equivalent to the total amount of money they raised the year before. Last year’s total expenses came out to $163,647 compared to this years $1,702,204. That is an increase in spending of 943%. Despite the tremendous increase in spending, their election results plummeted exponentially in this year’s elections. Last year they claimed that 275 of their candidates were elected, only to drop 67% to a total of 90 this year despite the astronomical spending. To put that into perspective, of the over 40,000 School Board seats that were on the ballot for all of 2023, candidates that Moms for Liberty endorsed won a total of 90, or about $19,000 per win. With those kinds of results, in order to win just half of the seats up for elections, Moms for Liberty would have to spend over $380,000,000. Losing over two-thirds of their races, they’d also need about 60,000 candidates on the ballot. Despite their financial growth and political capital, their results are headed drastically in the wrong direction.
Across the United States, Moms for Liberty-endorsed candidates faced overwhelming defeats in school board elections. In states like Virginia, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota, their candidates lost races for state legislatures and school boards. This trend signifies a widespread rejection of their right-wing education policies, including the restriction of lessons on social inequality and empathy.
While Moms for Liberty claims to have supported the election of 365 school board members who align with their views on parental rights and education, the recent election results tell a different story. Their losses in key states indicate a declining influence, despite their financial growth and claims of advocacy for disenfranchised parents.
