Gateway Unified Voters Reject the Culture Wars
The results from Tuesday’s special election in Shasta County show Casey Bowden has apparently won the Area 2 seat on the Gateway Unified School Board. This is a blow to the parental rights movement and conservatives, who will now represent a minority on the board.
As of early Thursday morning, the tallies were:
- Casey Bowden - 57.88%
- Camille King - 42.12%
King was the more conservative candidate in this race, and has even been described as a right-wing extremist by critics. She opposed COVID mandates and supports trans notification policies.
Bowden has taken a much more moderate stance, especially on the culture wars. Whether on COVID or LGBTQ matters, Bowden told Shasta Scout “we have to follow the rules. We don’t want to end up in litigation for refusing to do so.”
The apparent outcome at GUSD mirrors a national trend that emerged Tuesday night. Across the country, moderates and Democrats swept local school boards, in some cases toppling right-wing majorities that had supported book bans and railed against Critical Race Theory. Even in Linn-Mar, Iowa, every single candidate endorsed by the conservative Moms for Liberty group lost their race.
Are Americans tiring of the culture wars?
