Bernadette Wilson and Right-Wing Candidates Proudly Embrace Anti-Public School Agenda
A signature on a Moms for Liberty pledge is a guaranteed promise to attack and defund public schools and target vulnerable students.
This past weekend at the Republican Women of Fairbanks Summer picnic, Alaska’s far-right political class lined up to pledge allegiance to extremist organization Moms for Liberty. Gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson and Dave Bronson’s running mate, Josh Church, proudly bent the knee, grinning alongside Moms for Liberty Fairbanks Chapter Chair Gail McBride, who was clearly thrilled about her most recent candidate purchases.
U.S. House Rep. Nick Begich, Shelley Hughes, and Adam Crum also dutifully scrawled their names on the group's "Parent Pledge."
This spectacle becomes somewhat terrifying when you realize that Moms for Liberty does not give one solitary shit about liberty. They function as an anti-public education syndicate dedicated to tearing down inclusive learning environments. Their primary goals revolve around defunding schools, banning books, censoring curriculum, marginalizing LGBTQ+ youth, and quoting Hitler. They routinely harass school board members and bully educators as they work to weaponize the concept of "parental rights" - a convenient smokescreen to perpetuate a rigid and bigoted worldview on everyone else's children. I personally prefer referring to them as "extremist busybodies."
I have written A LOT about Moms for Liberty in Alaska, so I feel comfortable saying that this groveling to a radical fringe group is a tired, repeat performance, but definitely intended as red meat for Alaska's MAGA base.
Just two years ago, then Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor and a slew of conservative candidates locked arms with M4L at Matanuska River Park. They signed the very same pledge, signaling their alignment with the Dunleavy administration's overarching push to dismantle public education and strip away student protections.
As a reminder, also in 2024, while candidates were cozying up to extremists, the community of Seward was busy rallying to financially support a local Pride event after it received a cowardly bomb threat. True Alaskans consistently show up to support one another in the face of organized hate. Yet, our elected officials and desperate hopefuls continue to seek the approval of out-of-state hate organizations to fuel their political ambitions.
The political strategy here is simple. Extremist groups demand fealty, and politicians desperate for power most eagerly comply. Alaskans must recognize this behavior and vote accordingly. A signature on a Moms for Liberty pledge is a guaranteed promise to attack and defund public schools and target vulnerable students. Voters hold the power to reject this divisive and hateful agenda in November.
