Makenze Cameron is counting on mom power to propel her husband, Attorney General Daniel Cameron, past the finish line this November.

Thursday, the Camerons launched Moms for Cameron, a coalition of women focused on electing a conservative leader to Kentucky’s highest office.

About 40 women gathered at The Turn in downtown Newport, across the river from Cincinnati, to hear about how to help in Cameron’s mission to spur political engagement among women who may not have been previously active.

The primary point of discussion was education. Cameron, a former Oldham County public school educator, said that she was concerned about the future holds for her 19-month old son, Theodore.

“I want him to have a childhood that reflects our childhood and to be able to play outside with his friends and worry about making the basketball team and not be worried about some of the pronouns or other issues that are making their way into the curriculum,” she said.

Cameron told a story about a time when the Board of Education curriculum directed her to give her third and fifth graders an assignment asking them to compare the Black Lives Matter protests in Louisville with the civil rights movement.

“I went and sat down with my principal and I was like this is not acceptable,” Cameron said. “And as a mom of a biracial child, I know my kid is not going to be told that other people think he is less than them because of the color of his skin.”

She also spoke about the struggles of teaching through the COVID-19 pandemic. Cameron said it was difficult to connect with her students virtually, and again when they returned to school with mask mandates.

She added that only 45% of Kentucky elementary students are at grade level in reading according to state test scores, despite the third grade reading level being the best indicator of success as an adult.

“So that means that half of our students in Kentucky are not being set up for success and all Andy Beshear did was make that worse by closing down our schools for two years and then putting a mask mandate in place for another year,” she said.

Several of the attendees spoke about their concerns with school curriculum.

“I want to teach math, reading, science and social studies,” said Lori Frommeyer, an educator. “I feel like I can’t do that.”

Rebecca Cuzick echoed Frommeyer’s comments. She said she has been a Daniel Cameron supporter since his run for attorney general, and believes he will keep his promises.

Cuzick is enrolling her two little girls, who she brought with her, in private school, but believes in school choice so that parents can have the final say in determining what curriculum they want their kids to learn.

She said voter education is the most important thing the Moms for Cameron coalition can do, since many people only look at the party designation and don’t delve into the actual issues.

“I think education on where we are realistically on these issues with Andy Beshear and then how Daniel Cameron’s going to turn that around or propose better solutions that could either enhance where we’re at right now or change it completely is key.”

Daniel Cameron said the coalition and his broader campaign is about making sure schools in Kentucky are not “incubators for liberal and progressive ideas.”

Politically active and motivated mothers have a lot of power, Makenze Cameron said. She hopes to get many signed up to knock on doors, volunteer and share info about Cameron and Beshear’s records with their networks.

“I saw students having to color dresses on boys and in cutouts at my school that I taught at,” Cameron said. “… So I think moms are ready to rise up and to fight back, to fight for a good education system, to fight for safe streets and to fight for a better future for their kids.”