The New York Republican state committee has done just that. Upon finding some of the most vile and racist communications sent or received by members of its chapter, they suspended the authorization of the New York Young Republicans chapter. The GOP is right to be concerned, not just on how this form of behavior is impacting the Party’s reputation and values. The suspension magnifies these increasingly worrying issues.
Just this week, Politico broke the news on disturbing quotes from Peter Giunta, a former chair of the New York Young Republicans. At one point, he scandalously exclaimed, “I love Hitler, the watermelon people.” He joked about executing political enemies in state-sponsored gas chambers. These comments were universally – and rightly – condemned and expose a privileged, damaging new trend in parts of Republican youth.
In addition, our own Bobby Walker has just been appointed chair of the New York division. He said he fears their private conversations would be made public. “If we ever had a leak of this chat we would be cooked fr fr,” he stated, indicating the severity of the situation and the environment within the group.
The Young Republicans organization is an affiliate of the Young Republicans National Federation (YRNf). This federation indeed has a well-earned right to tout itself as the oldest youth political organization in the United States. Its mission is to educate, mentor, train and place young voices in the GOP to positions for which they will be the future stars of the party. All that can be lost as these recent incidents threaten these very goals and badly taint the party’s image.
Xaviaer DuRousseau, a conservative influencer and PragerU personality, pushed for discipline within the party. He remarked, “It’s important to disassociate our Party from that sort of unprofessional, cringeworthy, and hateful behavior.” His statement underscores a desire among some party members to distance themselves from the actions of the New York Young Republicans.
Ed Cox, chair of the New York Republican Party, tweeted his affirmation. He said the executive board put the chapter’s suspension into effect. He stated, “The Young Republicans was already grossly mismanaged, and vile language of the sort made in the group chat has no place in our party or its subsidiary organizations.” This claim is a continuation of a long-time move to ensure that the supposed integrity and professionalism of party members winners.
New York is the latest to have its youth group suspended. This decision follows the actions in Kansas, in which Kansas Republicans quickly dissolved their youth group after racist chat messages were made public. Even the chair of the Kansas GOP, Danedri Herbert, admitted that their young Republicans group is on life support.
As political parties continue to appeal to younger, more diverse demographics, occurrences such as these are serious setbacks. The consequences of this type of conduct can scare away possible recruits and push current members of the force away. The recent developments in both New York and Kansas serve as stark reminders of the importance of fostering an inclusive and respectful political environment.