Democrats still haven't learned one important lesson from the 2024 election

Fox News

14-04-2025

The 2024 election was a wake-up call for Democrats, but five months later, they're still asleep. Donald Trump's win over Kamala Harris—fueled by a 9-point lead among parents—made the GOP the Parents' Party. Trump campaigned hard on school choice, ousting transgender ideology from classrooms, and banning Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) nonsense. Harris barely mentioned education. Two polls from AtlasIntel, a top-tier pollster, showed Trump beating her on this issue. Yet, Democrats aren't learning—they're doubling down on policies that repel families and defy reason.
In Colorado, House Democrats passed House Bill 25-1312 on Sunday, by a vote of 36 to 20, which could strip custody from parents who don't affirm their child's "chosen gender," and House Bill 25-1309, mandating health benefit plans cover "gender-affirming care"—including surgeries and hormones—while rejecting a Republican amendment to exclude kids. Ironically, they rammed these transgender insanity bills through during a special Sunday session, a move dripping with symbolism as they trampled parental rights on a day many families reserve for faith and rest. Colorado Democrats even voted to invoke Rule 16 to shut down debate on these bills, bulldozing opposition to rush their agenda.
Colorado Democrat Rep. Yara Zokaie compared parent groups opposing House Bill 25-1312 to the KKK, smearing them as hate groups during an April 2025 committee hearing, showing how far Democrats will go to demonize dissent. Colorado Republican Rep. Jarvis Caldwell blasted this bill, saying, "If they confuse your children and you don't affirm that confusion, they will take your child from you."
In Illinois, Democrats are pushing to regulate homeschooling in 2025, with House Bill 2827 passing committee last month on an 8-to-4 party-line vote. Over 42,000 people signed witness slips opposing it—a deafening roar—but every Democrat ignored them, defying the public's will. If it passes, homeschool parents could face fines and up to 30 days in jail for noncompliance, a draconian attack on families fleeing failing schools.
In Washington State, House Democrats in January, voted down an amendment to House Bill 1296 requiring immediate parental notification if a student is a victim of sexual misconduct by a school employee. Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle) doubled down in a Fox News interview in February, saying: "Kids over 13 have the complete right to make their own decisions about their mental health care. Parents don't have the right to have notice. They don't have the right to have consent about that."
Meanwhile, in West Virginia, every House Democrat voted against a Parents' Bill of Rights in March, rejecting basic transparency and control for families.
Nationally, every Senate Democrat blocked the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, ensuring it couldn't overcome a filibuster.
Even Rahm Emanuel, Obama's ex-chief of staff, sees the mess. In an April interview with Chris Cillizza, he urged Democrats to apologize for school closures during COVID, admitting they cratered kids academically and mentally. A 2023 American Economic Review study showed closures slashed math and reading scores, with low-income kids hit hardest, while a 2022 JAMA Pediatrics study linked them to soaring anxiety and depression. Teachers' unions, like the NEA and AFT, pushed these closures, and they give 99% of their campaign cash to Democrats.
Rahm's call is ironic—he's famous for saying, "Never let a crisis go to waste"—yet his party keeps wasting this one, fighting school choice at every turn.
Trump read the room. Parents are fed up with unions and bureaucrats turning schools into woke labs. His school choice pitch empowers families. His pledge to end transgender policies—like boys in girls' sports—matches public sentiment. His CRT-DEI ban taps disgust with divisive curricula. AtlasIntel's polls didn't just show Trump winning education; they signaled a realignment. Democrats once dominated this turf. Now, they're losing parents fast.
A January New York Times/Ipsos poll found 79% oppose men in women's sports—67% of Democrats, 94% of Republicans. A 2024 Center Square poll showed 59% support a federal ban on procedures such as puberty blockers and gender reassignment surgeries for minors. A 2023 Washington Post/KFF poll found 68% of adults oppose puberty blockers for kids ages 10 to 14.
On school choice, a 2023 RealClear Opinion Research poll found 71% support nationwide—66% of Democrats, 80% of Republicans—crossing party lines. Trump hammered these; Harris dodged.
Post-November, Democrats aren't reflecting—they're plowing ahead. Illinois's House Bill 2827 targets parents fleeing public schools. Colorado's bills prioritize ideology over evidence: no studies justify blockers or surgeries for kids. Washington's secrecy and Pedersen's stance clash with their base's views, as does West Virginia's rejection of parental rights. Democrats keep strangling school choice, ignoring 71% public backing.
A glimmer of hope exists. Illinois Rep. La Shawn Ford (D) slammed House Bill 2827 as overreach, hinting dissent. But party leaders stay tied to unions, blind to voters screaming for change. Trump's 9-point parent-vote win was a mandate: families want choice, not coercion; math, not Marxism; safety, not secrecy.
Democrats could pivot—apologize, embrace options, respect biology. Instead, they're betting parents won't care. They're wrong. November 2024 was a warning. The Parents' Party is rising, and unless Democrats wake up, they'll keep losing the people they claim to fight for.