Before doing a deep dive on who the Young Republicans are, let's review some dispicapable comments from their group chat:
“I love Hitler.”
“Everyone that votes no is going to the gas chamber. 🔥”
“Rape is epic.”
“Kick the bitch … you’re giving nationals too much credit and expecting the Jew to be honest 😆.”
“I’m ready to watch people burn now.”
“They love the watermelon people 💩.”
Now that we've table set let's dig into these deplorables.
The Young Republicans (often abbreviated YRs) are the official youth auxiliary of the Republican Party in the United States. They’re organized under the Young Republican National Federation (YRNF), which was founded in 1931 and has been active for more than 90 years.
The YRNF is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and serves as the umbrella group. Each state has its own federation, and many cities/counties have local clubs. Membership is open to Republicans between the ages of 18 and 40. Though often confused, the YRs are distinct from the College Republicans, which focus on campus organizing.
The organization recruit and train young conservatives to become campaign staff, candidates, and party leaders. Members volunteer for Republican candidates, knock on doors, make phone calls, and help with voter outreach. They host conventions, mixers, and policy discussions to connect young professionals with party leaders. Many elected officials — from city council members to members of Congress — got their start in Young Republican clubs.
The YRNF is affiliated with the International Young Democrat Union, a global network of center‑right youth organizations. It is registered as a 527 political organization, meaning it can raise and spend money for political activities but must report finances to the IRS and FEC. Everything to this point has focused on what they are, now, let’s take a look at who they are.
Usually, it is unfair to cast dispersions on an entire organization based on the acts of a small percentage of its members. But in this case, that small percentage consisted of the state leaders of the organization, whose texts, covering a period from January through mid-August 2025, were leaked in reports by ProPublica and Politico.
Over that span, more than 2,900 pages of Telegram conversations were exchanged among state and national Young Republican leaders in New York, Kansas, Arizona, Vermont, and elsewhere. The reporting emphasized that the offensive language — racist, antisemitic, misogynistic, and violent — was not a one‑off incident but a sustained pattern across many months.
The Young Republicans are the group that members of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) grow up to be part of. Many students and young professionals who got their start in Turning Point USA chapters later joined or led Young Republican (YR) clubs at the county or state level. TPUSA focused on high school and college campuses, while YRs catered to 18–40‑year‑olds in professional and political life. The pipeline between the two was well‑established.
Charlie Kirk frequently spoke at Young Republican conventions and state chapter events, where he was invited as a keynote speaker to energize younger conservatives. His message about “owning the libs” and defending Trump resonated strongly with YR audiences. Both TPUSA and the YRs positioned themselves as part of the MAGA wing of the GOP, emphasizing loyalty to Donald Trump, opposition to progressive cultural politics, and a combative style of activism.
After Kirk’s assassination in 2025, multiple Young Republican leaders publicly described him as a mentor and inspiration, crediting him with showing how to mobilize youth in conservative politics.
Here are some well-known alumni of the Young Republicans. At the time of this writing, none of them has spoken out about what organization leaders say amongst themselves when they think nobody’s listening.
- Jeb Bush — Former Governor of Florida, presidential candidate.
- John Cornyn — U.S. Senator from Texas, former Senate Majority Whip.
- Bill Brock — Former U.S. Senator from Tennessee, RNC Chairman, U.S. Secretary of Labor, and Ambassador.
- Charlie Crist — Former Governor of Florida (originally Republican, later Democrat).
- Joe Bruno — Former Majority Leader of the New York State Senate.
- John Ashbrook — U.S. Congressman from Ohio (1961–1982).
- Steve Bartlett — U.S. Congressman from Texas, later Mayor of Dallas.
- Aaron Bean — Current U.S. Congressman from Florida.
- Dean Cannon — Former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.
- Mike Duncan — Former RNC Chairman, previously active in Kentucky Young Republicans.
- Robin Beard Jr. — U.S. Congressman from Tennessee (1973–1983).
- Eric Eisnaugle — Florida State Representative, later judge.
- Lee Edwards — Distinguished Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, conservative historian.
- Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr. — Former RNC Chairman, co‑founder of the Commission on Presidential Debates.
- Terry Campo — Former YRNF Chairman (1989–1991), later a Washington attorney.
According to the reporting, Michael Bartels, a senior adviser in the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of General Counsel, was part of the group chats. Bartels’ role in the leaked logs was more limited than some of the state Young Republican leaders, but his presence in the chat tied the scandal directly to a sitting federal official. At the time of this writing, he still has his job.
One young man involved in the chats, Alex Dwyer of the Kansas Young Republicans, lost his position as State chairman when the Kansas GOP shut down the entire chapter. William Hendrix, the vice-chairman, lost his real job as a spokesperson in Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach’s office.
The recent revelations about racist, antisemitic, and violent rhetoric circulating among Young Republican leaders are not isolated incidents — they are a symptom of a deeper culture that has been tolerated for far too long. These organizations present themselves as the “next generation” of political leadership, yet their private communications reveal contempt for democracy, human dignity, and basic decency.
It is time to act.
1. Cut Off the Money
- Donors, businesses, and institutions must immediately end all financial support for Young Republican chapters and their national federation.
- No more sponsorships, no more event underwriting, no more quiet checks. Every dollar given is a dollar that sustains a culture of hate.
2. Demand Transparency
- We call for full disclosure of all contributions made to Young Republican organizations from this point forward.
- Public accountability matters: if you fund groups that normalize racism, antisemitism, and misogyny, the public has a right to know.
3. Out the Enablers
- Contributors who continue to bankroll these organizations after the revelations must be named publicly.
- This is not about harassment — it is about transparency and accountability. Communities deserve to know who is financing groups that train and elevate leaders steeped in bigotry.
4. Redirect Support
- Instead of funding organizations that perpetuate harm, donors should invest in youth groups that build inclusive leadership pipelines — organizations that champion democracy, equality, and survivor‑centered values.
Defunding the Young Republicans is critical because recent investigations have revealed a sustained culture of racism, antisemitism, misogyny, and violent rhetoric among its leadership. At this point, you are either against the Young Republicans or with them. We need to stop America’s version of the Hitler Youth before they become the next generation of leaders. Republicans work very hard to overcome an image of being all the things these messages reveal them to be. The question is, does anyone care?
Update: The response from Young Republicans:
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium. And if you dig his words, buy the man a coffee.