by Kendall Tietz
Senate Republicans see education and the concern around Critical Race Theory (CRT) as critical issues in the 2022 midterm elections, according to research from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and Chairman Rick Scott.
CRT in education is a winning message for Republicans going into the 2022 midterms, according to a survey of 1,200 likely suburban voters that the NRSC polled from 192 suburban counties in 37 states.
The research shows suburban voters believe American public schools are failing students who are falling behind their peers worldwide, they largely oppose CRT in schools, even though Democratic figures continue to defend CRT or assert it is not taught in K-12 schools and they overwhelmingly think high school and college women’s sports should be off limits for biological males.
“Democrats are failing American parents and students,” Scott told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “They constantly lie about teaching Critical Race Theory in schools and think parents will believe them.”
“But parents know that CRT is being taught in schools, and they’re speaking out,” Scott said. “Americans strongly object to CRT in schools and no amount of Democrat lies will change that. While Democrats put the teachers unions that fund their campaigns before parents, Republicans will always put parents first.”
A majority of suburban voters in battleground states agreed with the statement that CRT should not be in schools because children shouldn’t be told they are inherently racist due to the color of their skin, according to the poll. When broken down into categories, independents, Republicans, males, females and “suburban targets” all overwhelmingly said they agreed with the statement that CRT should not be taught.
CRT holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet it teaches people to view every social interaction and person in terms of race. Its adherents pursue “antiracism” through the end of merit, objective truth and the adoption of race-based policies.
“While independent suburbanites align themselves with Republicans on this issue, nearly two out of every three Democrats say they want this radical ideology taught to students, showing Democrats to be out of touch with the concerns of parents,” according to key findings from the NRSC report.
Of those surveyed, 78% said the American public school system is failing and students are falling behind the rest of the world, while only 15% disagreed.
When asked if they agreed with the statement that biological males should not compete against women in high school and college sports because it is “hugely unfair and will erase many of the gains women have made in athletics over the last 30 years,” 65% said they agreed while another 24% disagreed.
The majority of voters in every group surveyed, “suburban targets,” males, females and Republicans, and even Democrats agreed with the statement on transgender athletes.
“While Democrats continue to push this policy, voters across the ideological spectrum see this as unfair and erasing many of the gains women’s sports has made in America,” the report said.
Because many Democrats have either defended CRT or argued it is not being taught in K-12 schools, parents see it as Democrats dismissing or sidelining their concerns.
“On a political level it’s a real threat that is allowing Republicans to claw back the inroads that Democrats have made in the suburbs over the last couple of election cycles,” Jim Manley, aide to former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, told Business Insider.
New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan refused to say whether or not CRT should be taught in schools, in an interview with local station WMUR on Nov. 14. Instead, she said her “biggest concern” is “divisiveness” and “over-the-top behavior.”
Scott appeared on CNN’s “New Day” with co-host Brianna Keilar on Nov. 8, where she asked about the GOP “playbook” going into the 2022 midterms.
“We’re going to see just like in Virginia Terry McAuliffe wanted to say there’s nothing about Critical Race Theory,” Scott said. “We know it’s true. Parents know their kids are being indoctrinated with Critical Race Theory in Virginia and Democrats wanted to deny it. And so parents showed up because they don’t like being lied to.”
“Just to be clear, it’s not in the curriculum in Virginia,” Keilar responded.
The NRSC survey was conducted from Sept. 27 – 30, 2021 with a margin of error of +/- 2.82%.
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Kendall Tietz is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
