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up front Monday 24 July 2023
‘Mama bears’ may be the 2024 race’s soccer moms

Continued from Front ed that this is, I think, their as fiercely protective, de-
golden ticket for the prima- fending a traditional way of
Ron DeSantis said “woke” ries to rile up their base,” life and motivated by their
policies had “awakened said Katie Paris, who runs children. “It’s hard to argue
the most powerful political Red, Wine and Blue, a net- with,” Beail said. “It’s self-
force in the country: mama work of women pushing lessly protecting your cubs,
bears.” His wife, Casey De- back on GOP-backed poli- right?” In 2024, being a
Santis, who launched “Ma- cies such as the anti-LGBTQ mama bear also may pro-
mas for DeSantis” in lead- and anti-trans efforts of vide a space for conserva-
off-voting Iowa, said moms Moms for Liberty. tive women who have not
and grandmas were the “The reality about ‘parents’ been politically active be-
“game changer” in DeSan- rights’ is that it’s just about fore or who may have sat
tis’ blowout win for a sec- the rights of a vocal mi- out previous elections. If
ond term as Florida gov- nority that is trying to carry the mama bear narrative is
ernor. She predicted they out an extreme political persuasive, Beail said, there
will be again as he runs for Casey DeSantis speaks about her family focused program in agenda.” The mama bear are a lot of women who
president. the state of Florida during a campaign event with Republican movement is “a contem- could say, “That’s the spot
“It’s one thing when your presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Friday, June porary iteration of a trend for me.”
policies come after us as 2, 2023, in Lexington, S.C. Associated Press we’ve seen before,” said Women are generally more
mamas,” Casey DeSantis Linda Beail, a professor at likely to vote for Democrats
said in a talk peppered with say parents got a closer a policy that allows trans- Point Loma Nazarene Uni- than men, but Democratic
stories about raising kids in look at what their children gender students to use the versity and the author of House candidates held
the governor’s mansion. were being exposed to in bathroom or locker room a book about Sarah Palin, only a 50% to 47% advan-
“It’s another thing when public schools. They grew in of the gender they identify the 2008 Republican vice tage among women in last
your policies come after numbers as Democrat Joe as, without alerting parents. presidential nominee. year’s midterms, according
our children, and that’s Biden defeated Trump in She now leads the Linn During the suffrage move- to AP VoteCast, a broad
when the claws come out.” 2020 and were motivated County chapter of Moms ment, women pushed survey of the electorate.
These so-called mama by what they called gov- for Liberty. Jones, who vot- baby carriages as they More men voted for Re-
bears whom DeSantis and ernment overreach and ed for Trump in 2016 and marched for the right to publicans than Democrats,
other Republicans are “woke” policies. 2020, says he and other vote. For decades, white 54% to 43%.
courting are conserva- Geralyn Jones, 31, of Mari- 2024 candidates have Southern women held a Last year, conservatives
tive women living across on, Iowa, said she was not reached out to Moms for powerful role in shoring up tried to get hundreds of
the United States They are active in politics until the Liberty to schedule time to segregation and white su- “parents rights” activists
largely white and may be- pandemic, when she grew meet with moms. premacy, doing jobs such elected to school boards,
long to official groups such concerned about mask “I think we are going to be as keeping Black people with help from millions in
as Moms for Liberty, which requirements and online the most sought-out group off lists of eligible voters. donations from groups such
says it has 120,000 mem- schooling for her son, who or sought-out voice in this Palin was a game changer as the 1776 Project PAC.
bers nationally, or smaller was in kindergarten. She next election,” she said. in many ways, Beail said. One-third of the roughly
groups like No Left Turn in started asking questions Opponents say the warm- In the 2010 midterms, Palin 50 candidates backed by
Education. Some belong to and did not like the an- fuzzy image of a mama used the phrase “mama the 1776 Project PAC won
no group at all. swers she was getting. bear is a way to mask a grizzlies” to describe the their races. About half the
The groups and their work Jones pulled her two kids cruel, extreme agenda conservative women she candidates supported
took off during the COV- out of public school af- that hurts children. said would stop Demo- by Moms for Liberty were
ID-19 pandemic, when they ter the district approved “Republicans have decid- crats. It portrayed women successful.q

Court strikes down limits on filming of

police in Arizona

PHOENIX (AP) — A federal initial court suspension. Re- substantial amount of First
judge has ruled that an Ari- publican state Sen. John Amendment protected ac-
zona law limiting how close Kavanagh, who sponsored tivity and is unnecessary to
people can get to record- the measure, has said he prevent interference with
ing law enforcement is was unable to find an out- police officers given other
unconstitutional, citing in- side group to defend the Arizona laws in effect," Tu-
fringement against a clear- legislation. chi ruled.
ly established right to film The law would have made A coalition of media groups
police doing their jobs. it illegal to knowingly film and the ACLU success-
The ruling Friday from U.S. police officers 8 feet (2.5 fully sued to block the law.
District Judge John J. Tuchi meters) or closer if the offi- Prominent law enforce- Phoenix Police stand in front of police headquarters on May 30,
permanently blocks en- cer tells the person to stop. ment officials refused to 2020, in Phoenix, waiting for protesters marching to protest the
forcement of the law that And on private property, defend the law, including death of George Floyd.
he suspended last year. an officer who decides former Republican Attor- Associated Press
The Republican-backed that someone is interfering ney General Mark Brnovich
law was signed by former or that the area is unsafe and both the prosecutor
Republican Gov. Doug could have ordered the and sheriff's office in Mari- conduct — such as with cy. But Republican Arizona
Ducey in July 2022 but person to stop filming even copa County, home to the 2020 killing of George lawmakers initially said the
enthusiasm for the restric- if the recording was being Phoenix. Floyd at the hands of Min- legislation was needed to
tions faded and legislators made with the owner's per- Bystander cellphone vid- neapolis officers — and re- limit people with cameras
refused an opportunity to mission. eos are largely credited shaping the conversation who deliberately impede
defend the law during an "The law prohibits or chills a with revealing police mis- around police transparen- officers.q