Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has talked a lot about critical race theory (CRT), a framework for understanding racism as a systemic problem. She describes the theory as “radical and racist,” and claims New York State is using federal funds to force it on students. The State Education Department says that claim is “patently false.”

Shana Gadarian, professor and chair of political science, says what is clear is that Stefanik is trying to bolster her bona fides in the Trump wing of the Republican party. And she’s drawing from national talking points—on CRT, and many other issues.

“And so she's importing them into New York State,” Gadarian says. “This is the reverse of what we would normally see, I think, of most members of Congress who are trying to keep the focus on local issues [...] This is someone who is seeking a national kind of status, trying to then shoehorn those issues into a district where they don't really fit.”