"Frankly, I was just fed up," Gerber said, "I was just fed up that elected officials were no longer representing us, the people."
Former Moms for Liberty president vies for Democratic Rep. Kavros DeGraw's CT House seat
AVON — The former president of a Moms for Liberty chapter is challenging Democratic incumbent Eleni Kavros DeGraw this November, seeking to represent parts of the Farmington Valley in the state legislature.Republican candidate Manju Gerber previously led the Hartford County chapter of Moms for Liberty, a controversial conservative group that advocates for parental rights.And now, she's running for the 17th House District, which comprises Canton and part of Avon, battling Kavros DeGraw for the seat she has kept blue since 2021.
Kavros DeGraw's initial reason to run back in 2018 was not unlike Gerber's, as she said she felt like there were issues that were not being represented by the former state representative, and wanted to make a difference.
Before longtime Farmington Valley resident Kavros DeGraw took office, the district was represented by Republicans for at least a decade. If elected, this would be her third term.
"There's always more work left to be done," she said. "I have a lot that I left on the table that I really would like to get accomplished, and that's why it's so important that I continue to serve the people of Avon and Canton."
Kavros DeGraw first ran for state representative in 2018 but narrowly lost to Republican Leslee Hill. In 2020, Kavros DeGraw won the race against the incumbent, and has held office since.
Gerber, who is from India but has been an Avon resident for 12 years, said she has never run for state office before, and never dreamt she would be a candidate. But she isn't a complete stranger to political advocacy, as in leading the Moms for Liberty chapter, she helped organize events and bring awareness to the group's goals.
The Hartford County chapter has been at the center of local controversy before, as a symposium in Avon last year and a scheduled event in Simsbury in January were met by protests.
Gerber said the group was an outlet to empower parents, grandparents and community members about having a greater say in their children's education.
And even though the Hartford County chapter was associated with the national organization, Gerber said it runs independently. "I think people misconstrued the fact that we were book banners," she said, adding that wasn't something that her chapter supported.
Moms for Liberty has been labeled an extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
And while Gerber said she is no longer president, as the Hartford chapter is not currently active, she has been organizing town halls for community members as part of her campaign, on topics like maintaining local control and personal property rights, and most recently on girls sports.