Half of the population in Williamson County finds discussing politics with those they disagree with politically to be stressful and frustrating. This sentiment was echoed by Cheryl Brown, who addressed a crowd of more than 600 people at The Factory in Franklin, asking for their vote to return her as president of the Williamson County Republican Party. Recently, a list of 11 conservative and anti-CRT candidates won elections on Tarrant County school boards in May, with the support of a self-proclaimed Christian political action committee. The Republican Party had hoped that this strategy, which included strong funding and messages about the CRT, would allow them to include conservative candidates on the school board of Round Rock, a suburban city in Williamson County that has slowly become less reliably red in recent years.
Jim Henson, professor of government at the University of Texas and director of the Texas Policy Project, noted that the demographics of Williamson County have changed. He voted for Barack Obama and approved schools in Williamson County hiring diversity consultants to assess problems such as racial harassment. At a meeting of the Tennessee House of Representatives membership committee, Ragan promoted her legislation by stating that she had heard of a seven-year-old girl from Williamson County who had had suicidal thoughts and was now in therapy because she was ashamed of being white. Published by One WillCo, candidates were asked to describe their participation in Williamson County schools. General Sessions Judge Tom Taylor was encouraged to see so many people interested in popular politics in Williamson County. Around the same time that Moms for Liberty members began showing up for Williamson County school board meetings, Steve Bannon, Trump's former advisor, said in his video podcast that “the path to saving the nation is very simple: it will go through school boards.” Henson believes that Williamson and Hays are now ruined counties because it failed to anoint them as a permanent Democratic stronghold due to the scattered nature of the results there. Travis County voters overwhelmingly supported O'Rourke during the midterm elections, while Williamson County votes were almost equally divided in terms of their support for O'Rourke and Abbott.
Moms for Liberty members soon intensified the conflict, publicly stating that Williamson County schools had adopted Wit & Wisdom hastily and in violation of state regulations. The current state of political discourse in Williamson County is one of tension and uncertainty. The county has seen a shift from its traditionally conservative roots towards a more diverse political landscape. This shift has been met with both enthusiasm and resistance from different factions within the county. As more people become involved in local politics, it is important to remember that dialogue between opposing sides is essential for progress.
