Americans just witnessed the impact of empowered citizens. As the results came in from the Virginia elections this week, it became clear: parents are an interest group. They made all the difference in that election, flipping the governorship, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and statehouse leadership. We learned that parents will not only speak out strongly for their children, but they will fight at the ballot box for their rights as parents. Citizens said enough is enough of a leftist agenda that firmly believes parents do not know what’s best for their children’s education.

I encourage you to take time to listen to our latest podcast, linked above, for our take on the 2021 election results.

How goes Virginia, goes Arizona?

That’s the question and challenge facing us.

We will know the answer on November 8, 2022.

Arizonans will elect a new governor, attorney general, secretary of state, superintendent of public instruction, 30 state senators, 60 state representatives, and one U.S. Senator.

Will Arizona go the way of Virginia in 2022, or the way of Virginia in 2019, which made a sharp left turn?

Currently, conservatives advocating for foundational principles barely hold a majority in the state legislature. On educational freedom issues, there is no conservative majority.

What happens a year from now will have long-lasting consequences for all in Arizona, especially for our children and grandchildren.

By the end of the 2021 Arizona legislative session, Arizona lawmakers passed, and the Governor signed a record 14 CAP-supported bills, including strong parental rights laws; more protections for the preborn and their mothers; religious protections for the hospitalized; life-saving protections for those with disabilities; educational freedom for Arizona families, and much more.

Just as important were the bills that didn’t make it to the Governor’s desk, including so-called “non-discrimination” laws that actually undermine religious freedoms and free speech; laws that rollback nearly all commonsense regulations on abortion; the repeal of educational options for Arizona families, and much more.

Again, the challenge facing us is whether we continue to be a state that values the sanctity of human life, religious freedom, parents’ rights, and educational freedom. May we commit to pray and engage in that effort.

The U.S. Senate

One of Arizona’s two U.S. Senate seats is on the November 2022 ballot. Because Democrats hold control of the U.S. Senate only with the vote of the Vice President, flipping the Arizona seat could flip control of the Senate. Of course, it depends on senate races in other states.

Whichever party controls the U.S. Senate wields much power over federal policy. Consider the push to eliminate the filibuster, which keeps powers in check. Consider the current effort to pack the U.S. Supreme Court with friendly justices by expanding the number beyond the historical nine. Consider the multi-trillion-dollar spending bills designed to fundamentally change America’s economic and social norms. Consider the effort to enshrine abortion into federal law, or even the U.S. Constitution.

The IRC Effect

The Independent Redistricting Commission (IRC) redraws the legislative and congressional districts every ten years, including this year. Redrawn districts could change the landscape of the state legislature significantly. The IRC has come up with proposed maps and will now hold a 30 day public hearing phase before finalizing the maps. See the proposed maps here (legislative districts) and here (congressional districts).

Our friends at Data Orbital provide an interactive map here.

Because so much is at stake, it is critical we all take this next year’s election very seriously. Get involved, educate ourselves on the issues and the candidates, and tell our friends. In the coming months, CAP and our advocacy arm, CAP Action, will be bringing you more information on the candidates and where they stand on key issues.

ICYMI

• Read or listen here to Al Mohler’s analysis of the VA election.
• Read here an analysis of oral arguments given to the U.S. Supreme Court in the case against Texas’ heartbeat law.
• Watch: The LGBTQ agenda targets children in at least two Halloween ads.
• The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal from a California Catholic hospital sued after refusing to perform an elective hysterectomy on a woman living as a man. Read more here.