This month’s “blue tsunami” (though it was more complicated than just that) may have been the wake up call necessary to bring disparate portions of the Grand Ol’ Party’s “big tent” back together.
Nowhere has this been more on display than with the Republican youth clubs in the Austin area. The two Young Republican statewide associations talking reunification and two statewide federations of College Republicans are settling their differences for the sake of making Texas red again.
Travis County Precinct Chairman and YR leader Ben Shrader released his “Memorandum on Unanimous Unity” as President of the Austin YRs. In it, Shrader laid out his hopes of a merger between the older Texas Federation of Young Republicans (TFYR) and the newer Texas Young Republicans (YRT). He also called for the Texas Federation of College Republicans (TFCR) and the Texas College Republicans (TCR) to merge into a single statewide College Republican organization — as well as adopt a “primacy agreement” where Republican youth clubs would consult each other before reaching out to other conservative and America First organizations.
The statewide organizations with “Federation” in the title are the legacy groups (Austin’s Young Republican presence goes back to 1967), whereas YRT and TCR have their roots during the Texas GOP Chairmanship of Abraham George and the MAGA movement. Both have around 20 chapters across Texas, making for around 40 local clubs plus any number of unaffiliated groups here and there. Each of the Austin-area chapters of each statewide association have had packed social events, and the TFYR-affiliated Austin Young Republicans claims to have recruited over 500 members in recent memory. YRT has planted numerous new clubs throughout the Lone Star State, usually named after their counties. Each Austin-area Young Republican club was active in knocking doors, sending texts, and working the polls in recent elections.
Shrader’s unity plan involves joint conventions to hash out how the new organizations would function. However, the Texas Young Republicans board issued a statement calling for all Texas clubs to “rally under the banner of YRT,” noting it is the officially recognized association within the Texas GOP at the moment (see below for statements).
We’ll keep this post updated with how that all pans out. Until then we urge anyone between ages 18-40 to check out any of our Young Republican or College Republican clubs and activities listed on our Events calendar. All are welcome, regardless of age … or what side of the GOP fence you’re on!
