Top Republicans are embracing opposition to critical race theory in schools as a new front in the culture wars aimed at exciting their voters ahead of both off-year and midterm elections.
The epicenter of the debate is in Northern Virginia, a key region of a commonwealth that represents perhaps the clearest early test of the political environment ahead of next year’s midterms.
Politically active parents in wealthy Loudoun County, Va., some of whom are professional Republican strategists, are leading a recall effort against school board members there. Increasingly heated school board meetings and those parents’ media savvy have earned attention from Fox News and other conservative news outlets.