A Democrat’s transformation
Sara Dudley, a Jewish lawyer and mother of an 11-year-old in Sacramento, still considered herself a staunch Democrat as recently as last spring.
“I was blue no matter who,” she said of her long allegiance and activism on issues like climate change, worker protections and LGBTQ rights. But then came the Sacramento City Council push for a Gaza cease-fire resolution proposed by leaders in the region’s Jewish and Muslim communities. At that meeting, Dudley said protesters shouted antisemitic slurs at her and created a threatening atmosphere. Twelve people were arrested, and Mayor Darrell Steinberg cleared the chambers.
City leaders eventually passed the cease-fire resolution and championed it as an example of the community coming together — Steinberg said at the time that “we are not at war with each other here in Sacramento.” But Dudley saw this as another example of rising antisemitism in California and thought the Democratic party leadership response was not only indifferent but permissive.
“I expected my elected officials to condemn this behavior, but they were silent,” she said.
Dudley was also disappointed by media coverage of the event, which led her to explore more conservative sources of information, which began to reshape how she saw the world.
“It’s not just about foreign policy — it’s about what’s happening here in California, in our schools and in our communities.”
From her perspective, Republican representatives at all levels of government are attacking antisemitism more aggressively and “supporting Israel unconditionally.”
These events drew her to the GOP, but it was Trump’s aggressive positions on border security and energy independence that further swayed her. Suddenly, Trump’s call for more domestic energy production started to make more sense.
“If we’re not developing that fossil fuel here in America with good paying union jobs, where are we getting our fossil fuel and gas from?” she said, adding that she trusts Trump to combat terrorism, too.
“The Republican plank is actually really important for national security. As a mother, I’m concerned with my son’s health and safety.”
‘Policy over personality’
Marilee Saurenman, a social worker and mother of three in a suburb east of Los Angeles, said she feels cautiously optimistic about the incoming administration. “It was policy over personality,” she said, explaining her decision to support Trump.
In her mind, she separated his controversial rhetoric — which she didn’t like — from his campaign promises, which she did. Saurenman identifies as a biracial feminist, but Harris failed to win her support.
“I didn’t feel that Vice President Harris was really feeling the entire pulse of the nation,” she said. “Just because you’re a female is not a good enough reason for me to vote for you.”
She was specifically disappointed in Harris’s handling of border security during her vice presidency. “As a mother, I want my children to be safe.”
Saurenman said her values have shifted increasingly right over the last decade, influenced by her pro-life stance and perception that conservatives are more focused on issues that are important to her, like family, education and safety. For example, she would like her school district to provide more transparency over what topics and framing of history will be taught to her children so she can opt in or out of lesson plans that do not align with her Catholic values.
She said she feels quickly judged by liberals for her support of Trump, cast as a person who is uneducated or supports criminals, which she finds “really upsetting.” In the future, she hopes people can listen more and share ideas constructively. “Although you may not agree with me, we can have mutual respect,” she said.
In four years, she hopes the country will be less polarized, and parents will be more involved in schools.
A stand for parental rights
Alayna Nord, a mother of two adolescents in a Los Angeles suburb, voted for Trump in the last three elections. She said his core motivations match hers.
“Christian values first and foremost,” Nord said. “And, I would say the biggest thing on my list is parental rights.”
She was put off when California passed a new law that prevents schools from disclosing information about a student’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Proponents of the legislation said it will help protect LGBTQ+ students who live in hostile households. But opponents said it sidesteps parental involvement.
