Friday Politics Roundup | Colorado school board takeover; FL passes anti-LGBTQ law; NYC is sinking; Cherelle Parker wins Philly Mayor; Innamorato wins big; Heather Boyd takes 163rd; & more!

Out d’Coup Podcast

A right-wing takeover of a Colorado school board is a case study for what’s happening nationwide.

• The Woodland Park school board was taken over by conservatives in 2021. They moved quickly to radically transform the district, learning from the tactics of Donald Trump and Steve Bannon, and bolstered by big-money fueling Christian nationalists curricular changes.
• These “American Birthright” curricular standards passed by the Woodland Park school board are similar to the Hillsdale College K-12 curriculum, but target State Standards as well as District ones.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signs a bill that dramatically limits transgender medical treatments, restricts pronoun use in schools, and forces people to use bathrooms corresponding to their birth sex.

New York City is sinking due to the massive weight of its skyscrapers. Studies are showing that will only exacerbate the effects of climate change.

Cherelle Parker wins the hotly contested and closely watched race for Philly's next mayor. One of Parker’s campaign pledges was to hire more police in the midst of a wave of violence in the city. She is not set to become Philly’s first Black woman mayor. The most progressive candidate in the race, Helen Gym came in third. Gym’s campaign was quick to offer congratulations and support for Parker as she pledged to continue to build grassroots power.

Sara Innamorato wins big in the Democratic primary for Allegheny County executive. Much of Innamorato’s win is rooted in the work she and other members of the progressive community in the County have done to build a strong, progressive movement. The Pittsburgh area continues to build a model of deep-rooted progressive organizing.

As the Intercept reported, the results for Tuesday’s primary were a mixed bag for progressives. The Pittsburgh area seeing progressive gains, while Philadelphia showing a stronger preference for more moderate Democratic Party machine platforms.

Democrats will maintain control of the Pennsylvania House following Heather Boyd’s win in Tuesday’s special election to fill the empty seat in the 163rd district in Delaware County.

There were some promising signs in the Pennridge and Central Bucks school board races. Both of those races showed signs that some Republicans may be supporting Democratic candidates after a few years of right-wing extremism on their boards.

Central Bucks still in the book banning business as the school board orders the removal of “Gender Queer” and “This Book is Gay,” from library shelves.