Would you teach your children to rise to defend someone just because they were on the same team, even if they knew that person was in the wrong? 

If not, why do we do that at the ballot box?

As a mother of four, I have spent my life instructing them that character is more important than labels. Not only that, but integrity trumps popularity, and doing what is right requires courage. 

And yet, as Election Day approaches, I worry too many Californians have forgotten those lessons.

When Hayley Stevens of Michigan, a Democrat, said she was withdrawing her endorsement of fellow Democrat Abdul El-Sayed for Senate because he would not denounce antisemitism, her party attacked her instead of the anti-Jewish prejudice on display.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Stevens’ moral stand “a despicable betrayal from Rep. Stevens,” and Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel said, “Congresswoman Stevens is not a current member of the Michigan Democratic Party, nor will she be in the future.”

American families pay the price for such blind partisan allegiance.

In her endorsement of Republican candidate Mike Rogers, Stevens made it clear that she remains a proud Democrat. Rather than fall in line behind her party’s nominee, she chose to support a Republican. She characterized her decision as a matter of leadership, and of integrity.

This is the type of independent thinking we should actively encourage. 

We should strive to evaluate candidates individually, interrogate our political allegiances and make decisions based on the values we believe in — as opposed to the party label adjacent to a candidate’s name.

Supporting one Democrat on certain specific issues does not entail endorsing each and every Democrat. In the same way, supporting one Republican does not require that one support every Republican candidate, or every national Republican policy, for that matter.

Integrity should be recognized wherever we find it. And when we discover dishonesty and failures of leadership, we should reject it, wherever it may appear.

I’m an American who was born Iran. I know what happens when ideology overtakes individual freedom. I know what it means to live in a country where questioning those in power carries severe consequences. That experience has made me fiercely protective of the freedoms Americans, too often, take for granted.

Here in Los Angeles, families confront serious challenges in their daily lives. As the rising cost of living strains household budgets, parents worry about public safety, the vulgarities of homelessness, quality of their children’s education and whether their sons and daughters can ever afford homes in the communities in which they were raised.

These problems do not belong to either party. They are American problems, shared among all citizens of the United States. And these days, a candidate running with a “D” beside their name might not be the moderate Democrat your parents or grandparents once supported. 

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During this election cycle, I am especially concerned by the surge of popularity in candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America. The movement seeks sweeping, revolutionary and dangerous changes to our economic system and how we enforce the rule of law. 

Serious scrutiny must be made to these radical proposals. Everyone depends on safe neighborhoods, economic opportunities and reliable public institutions, and the DSA’s extreme agenda threatens all three. So let the 2026 midterm elections serve as a teachable moment, one that extends far beyond politics.

Through the choices we make, mothers can teach their children to demonstrate values of integrity and independence: On Election Day, bring your children with you to the polls. Let them watch you exercise a right that millions around the world wish they had. Tell your kids how you researched the candidates, why you evaluated their records and why your vote was not determined by their political party affiliation. Lead by example and inform them democracy is not a sport where fans support a specific team without criticism, but rather a responsibility to judge candidates by their values. 

It’s high time to tell them that American citizenship means having the freedom to question authority, reject groupthink and stand by your values, even when those convictions put you at odds with people you might otherwise agree with.

Elections come and go, but these lessons will stay with children forever. They will shape how our sons and daughters choose their friendships, partners, careers and ultimately the values they pass on to their own descendants. 

When my family left Iran for the United States, we never expected to engage in the same type of ideological conformity here. We came for the freedom to think with independence. And today, in 2026, I will not surrender that freedom.

This Election Day, I will cast my ballot without partisan affiliations. I will cast my ballot as an American mother determined to protect the future of her children.

I will vote for candidates with integrity, leaders who will defend our freedoms, make our communities stronger and put American families ahead of partisan agendas.

I hope mothers across the Golden State will do the same, because the most important allegiance we can teach our children is not loyalty to a party, but loyalty to what is right.

This is what Hayley Stevens demonstrated by endorsing Mike Rogers.

Our children are watching. Let’s show them what it means to be free.

Shirin Yadegar is a political commentator and the founder of www.lamommagazine.com.

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