Leaders of the Young Republican National Federation are feeling the heat. This firestorm came after hundreds of the Ku Klux Klan’s members racist, sexist, and often violent text messages were made public. Those inflammatory comments were leaked from a private Telegram chat. These were pretty inflammatory examples though, including references to rape that were labelled “epic” and an individual proclaiming his love for Adolf Hitler. The exchanges have already elicited fierce denunciations from GOP leaders throughout many of the same states, combined with demands for accountability.
The Young Republican National Federation was front and center in these discussions. Their counterparts in New York, Kansas, Arizona, and Vermont pitched in to provide support to the effort. Some of the people taking part in that chat are only a few years younger than the 41-year-old Vice-President. This should alarm everyone about the dispositions and priorities of whoever succeeds these party leaders. The group upbraided the swaps as “unbecoming of any Republican.” At the same time, this criticism only underscores a growing schism in the party over what behavior and rhetoric is acceptable.
Senator JD Vance, another leading Republican voice trying to diminish the scandal, dismissed the messages as teenage hijinks. He was a passionate advocate, and he wore his concerns on his sleeve. I don’t want us to live in a country where a child’s stupid prank leads to his lifelong punishment. For Vance, it meant acknowledging that he was born in a very different era. He told his kids to think twice about their digital footprint, always remembering the context of their young adult life.
The impact from these revelations led Governor Kathy Hochul of New York to act. She called the text messages “vile” and called for disciplinary action against those responsible. She stated, “Kick them out of the party. Take away their official roles. Stop using them as campaign advisers.” Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom called for an investigation into the matter, describing the messages as “the definition of conduct that can create a hostile and discriminatory environment that violates civil rights laws.”
Vermont’s Republican legislative leaders went up in arms. Vermont Governor Phil Scott called upon the state senator mentioned in the group chat, Sam Douglass, to step down from office. Danedri Herbert, chair of the Kansas GOP, distanced his party from the messages, asserting that they “do not reflect the beliefs of Republicans and certainly not of Kansas Republicans at large.”
Many Republican leaders saw the attention on these text messages as a desperate distraction play. Senator JD Vance called attention to the racist, sexist, and homophobic attacks launched by Jay Jones, Democratic nominee for attorney general of Virginia. Jones’s comments, made in jest, were aimed at killing a Republican colleague rather than the likes of Hitler or Pol Pot. Jones subsequently accepted “full responsibility” for his remarks and issued a formal public apology.
The split within the Republican party over these questions illustrates two divergent views on what accountability and behavior should look like among party members. To their credit, Democrats have united to express outrage at the Young Republicans’ exchanges. They are demanding accountability for those who fail – from artists to the private sector and beyond.
As the situation continues to unfold, it raises broader questions about the culture within political organizations and the implications of such conduct for future political leaders. The exchanges have led to discussions about racism and sexism. They challenge how much political parties are willing or able to engage their members in a 21st-century, highly-digital environment.