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A number of main Republican presidential candidates, together with former President Donald J. Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, have been converging on Philadelphia on Friday to rally conservative activists round a shared agenda of proscribing transgender rights and limiting how race and L.G.B.T.Q. points are mentioned in colleges.
Mr. DeSantis was the primary to talk at a gathering of the most recent powerhouse in social conservative circles, Mothers for Liberty, which started as a small group of far-right suburban moms however has shortly gained nationwide affect.
“What we’ve seen throughout this nation lately has woke up probably the most highly effective political power on this nation: mama bears,” Mr. DeSantis informed the gang of lots of, to roars of applause. “We’ve achieved a lot on these points in Florida, and I’ll do all this as the subsequent president.”
Shortly after he spoke, the Supreme Courtroom gave the conservative motion extra victories with two rulings, one placing down President Biden’s program to alleviate pupil mortgage debt and the opposite backing an internet designer who had refused to offer companies for same-sex marriages.
Mr. DeSantis headlined Mothers for Liberty’s opening breakfast occasion, a nod to the group’s founding in his house state in 2021. Its nationwide rise — it says it now has 275 chapters in 45 states — has coincided with the Florida governor’s ascension in right-wing circles as he pushed laws to limit discussions of so-called essential race idea and sexuality and gender in public colleges.
Mr. DeSantis’s pitch to social conservatives facilities on the concept that he, not Mr. Trump, is the almost definitely to show their priorities into laws. The previous president, who was scheduled to talk later within the afternoon, leads Mr. DeSantis by a large margin within the polls.
In a 20-minute handle earlier than the friendliest of crowds, Mr. DeSantis highlighted laws he championed in Florida banning gender transition look after minors, stopping academics from asking college students for his or her most well-liked pronouns and prohibiting transgender ladies from competing in ladies’ sports activities.
One other Republican presidential candidate, Nikki Haley, a former United Nations ambassador and governor of South Carolina, struck a distinct tone later Friday morning. Missing the type of latest legislative document that Mr. DeSantis can level to, she as an alternative drew on her experiences as a mom: She straight referred to as herself a “mother for liberty” and infrequently invoked her youngsters.
“Mothers care about quite a lot of issues — it’s not simply colleges,” Ms. Haley mentioned. “We care in regards to the debt, we care about crime, we care about nationwide safety, we care in regards to the border. Mothers care about the whole lot.”
Calling itself a “parental rights group,” Mothers for Liberty has constructed its platform on a number of contentious points centering on youngsters — a spotlight that many on the correct imagine may assist unite the Republican Celebration’s break up factions in 2024.
The group has railed towards public well being mandates associated to the coronavirus and towards college supplies on L.G.B.T.Q. and race-related topics. Its members usually protest at conferences of college boards and have sought to take them over. The group has additionally spearheaded the elimination of books its members deem inappropriate for Ok-12 college students.
Alongside the way in which, Mothers for Liberty has drawn a backlash. The Southern Poverty Regulation Middle, a left-leaning civil rights group, has labeled it an extremist group, saying that it “generally propagates conspiracy theories about public colleges trying to indoctrinate and sexualize youngsters with a progressive Marxist curriculum.”
Earlier than the group’s convention in Philadelphia, a half-dozen scholarly teams criticized the Museum of the American Revolution for permitting Mothers for Liberty to carry a few of its occasions there, together with the opening reception.
Mayor Jim Kenney of Philadelphia, a Democrat, mentioned on Thursday that “as a welcoming and inclusive metropolis, we discover this group’s beliefs and values problematic.”
Protesters gathered outdoors the convention venues starting Thursday night time and stretching into Friday, picketing the downtown Marriott lodge, the place Mr. DeSantis, Ms. Haley and different candidates have been talking.
The schedule for Saturday included a session led by KrisAnne Corridor, a former prosecutor and conservative public speaker with previous ties to the Oath Keepers, a far-right militia that helped orchestrate the Capitol assault on Jan. 6, 2021.
Periods on the occasion bridged a variety of topics, together with exploration of “darkish cash’s infiltration in schooling” and discussions in regards to the Federalist Papers. However the presidential candidates have been the primary draw.
Two different Republicans — Asa Hutchinson, a former governor of Arkansas, and Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and activist — have been slated to talk on Saturday. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democratic presidential candidate and outstanding vaccine skeptic, had been scheduled to talk on Sunday however backed out earlier within the week, citing a “household vacation obligation.”
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