Republicans are rare in New York City. Only 10% of New Yorkers are Republican, and the state is voting light blue for Kamala Harris, according to 2021 voter registration data. But Republicans haven’t said they’ll stop doing that.
“You live in a blue city, but it’s quickly turning red,” Donald Trump claimed at a Bronx rally in May. Once they step into the suburbs, Republican candidates have enough momentum to wreak havoc on multiple House races and, ultimately, control of the House.
These are interesting times for the New York Young Republicans Club (NYYRC). The club brings together conservative New Yorkers under 40 to socialize, campaign, and discuss policy. Recent events include debates and self-defense classes based on “the influx of illegal military-age male immigrants into our country, the threat of World War III, and New York State’s insistence on stripping people of their Second Amendment rights.” Included. They are using this momentum in New York to expand their efforts to other Republican youth organizations across the country.
This year, photographer Paola Chapdelaine spent time with four male members of NYYRC and one male member of nearby Connecticut Young Republicans. The Connecticut Young Republicans are representative of a national trend in which young people increasingly embrace the right. Here they explain how they found their way to the Republican Party as young adults in a liberal city, and what they think about America’s political polarization.
When I was in college, I saw a woman on the train with a button on her backpack that said, “Women need men like fish need bicycles.” I remember not agreeing with that at all. This movement to dismantle the family, or to say that we should be completely individualized, autonomous beings, without needing each other, without any connection to family or history, I’m against it. Reject the idea. I think we are all connected to something bigger. I think that’s what makes me conservative.
Lately, I’ve felt like I’ve been having a really good relationship with my date. We laughed a lot and had great chemistry. And then, on the morning of our second date, she said (via text message): I don’t want to date you. ”I knew right away that she Googled me. I’m not a right-wing vigilante, but I write for conservative publications.
If I start a relationship right away by saying, “Hi, I’m Frank, and I’m a conservative,” I’m setting myself up for failure. I say this. “Hello, I’m Frank. I have a cat that I love. These are my hobbies. I play the guitar.” That doesn’t mean you should fool yourself with your beliefs, but the political polarization of this country This means that we should be aware of the changes. I think it was Muhammad Ali who said that you judge people by how they treat their waiters at restaurants. Similarly, how do you treat animals? Arguments over tax laws, the appropriate number of immigrants to admit each year, and what you think about foreign policy ultimately mean nothing in a relationship. I think so. All I care about is how you treat me and how you treat others.
I may sound like a hippie, but I totally believe in the concept of community, and community can’t be politically monolithic. Democrats have to be in it, liberals have to be in it. The moment we fall into an “me vs. them” or “us vs. them” mindset, we are doomed.
Born, raised and currently living in Brooklyn, Filocomo is a program manager at the conservative nonprofit National Review Institute. He serves as NYYRC’s policy chair.
Jude Samphan, 41: “My politics have caused all kinds of consternation among my friends.”
It was 2008 and I was a political free agent. It was back when everyone was like, “Obama, Obama, Obama.” He was a man of hope and change. But he said things like: It’s time for them to spread the wealth” – like socialists. And I thought, “I can’t vote for this person.”
That’s when I leaned into my Bible faith and started researching political parties. Most black people who grew up in New York are either implicit or explicit Democrats. My friend Ben, who was a socialist, showed me what it takes to have the courage to voice your opinion without following trends. I don’t necessarily agree with socialism, but I found him to be a very courageous person.
The Republican Party felt more in tune with freedom, more business, more marriage, and more with life in the womb. I thought, “Okay, now I can calm down.” It caused all kinds of consternation among my friends and girlfriend at the time. People were getting interventions. It was as if my father had abandoned me as his son. It was very, very difficult.
In this election, I think we should promote America’s interests first. Many people are suffering financially right now. I don’t see any benefit in sending money to Ukraine, sending a lot of foreign aid, or opening our borders when we have to take care of our people.
Somefun is NYYRC’s Philanthropy Chair. He was born and raised in Harlem and still lives there. he is a life insurance agent
Matthew Carrier, 22: “From the outside, I’m a fierce conservative, but biodiversity is a concern for me.”
I became active as a College Republican in my sophomore year. We were 4 people so something needed to change. So we created a conversation-based group. The first topic was the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Because it was timely. Veganism was a topic we recently discussed and the conversation was very good. We had a meeting on transgenderism and athletics, and that was probably the most controversial one for us.
This club is College Republicans, and there’s no hiding that, but it still brings together a very dynamic group of people who are willing to have a conversation. We respect ourselves. We respect our campus, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. This is where I see other college Republican groups getting stuck.
From the outside looking in, I’m a fierce conservative, but biodiversity is a concern for me (as a farmer). Still, I don’t share the same concerns (as environmentalists do) about things like genetically modified crops (GMOs). Because I see a need to feed a world of 8 billion people. I try not to criticize farmers who are much larger than me by saying things like, “If only there were more ladybugs, the crops would be fine.”
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The Republican Party is a party that values clean air and clean water. If you want to talk about something like global warming, the conversation will deviate from there. I appreciate conversations about climate change even more if the people I’m talking to rank their issues. That is difficult and may be a very cold way of thinking. But the biggest problem is, what about carbon in the atmosphere and plastic on the ground? Biodiversity? I think nuclear power (electricity) has a lot of benefits, but I don’t want to use nuclear power because I’m worried it will make things worse. No one wants to be the one claiming the right to.
Mr. Carrier is a former president of the College Republicans at the University of Rochester and current statewide chairman of the Connecticut Young Republicans, a political consultant, and a small farmer and beekeeper. He is from Enfield, Connecticut.
Lucien Wintrich, 36: “We are in a terrible economic situation.”
Many young people in New York are conservative, but they’re afraid to come out and say they’re conservative. There’s also a quarter of the party, who tend to be young reactionary kids who spout everything certain conservative influencers say rather than read and think for themselves.
In fourth grade, I was the only gay person and the only Bush supporter. To me, conservatism is about actual individuality and autonomy, and the understanding that the only real authority we should appreciate and look to is God, not government or elected officials. I mean, I totally believe in community. Most public schools were community-run until the (federal government) took over and created a failed Department of Education. The more[the federal government]gets involved, the less control communities and individuals have, and the worse off our lives are.
I think (in 2024) we need to stop pouring this money into Israel and Ukraine and, to be honest, all the other countries that we’re pouring money into. Actually, Israel is a little trickier than Ukraine. I think it is certainly a country that is becoming more stable (in the Middle East), but it is still increasing its debt and draining capital. We are in a terrible economic situation right now.
Wintrich lives in New York’s East Village. He is a media strategist and PR consultant and serves as NYYRC’s press chair.
Kwasi Barie, 24: “Political violence seems to be the norm.”
One of the biggest problems I see in New York and other liberal-leaning cities is that there is a deterioration of property rights. There is also the possibility that they are illegal occupiers. Tenants have the right to stay on the premises without paying. In other cases, landlords do not comply with their legal responsibilities and abuse their position. When people don’t pay rent or keep their contracts, it’s likely an opening for people to refuse to obey the law and to follow established norms and customs. It prevents people from living as moral human beings.
I support that party. I support Trump. Trump enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. A few months ago, I filed my tax return and discovered that I was getting a little extra money from it. He also funded HBCUs (signed a bipartisan bill), which my mom, who is a college professor, really appreciated. He met with Kanye to consider what could be done to correct the injustice of more black people being in prison and alleviate the incarceration problem. The First Step Act, which allows formerly incarcerated people to reintegrate into society, was passed on a bipartisan basis. But in the (current) political environment, it doesn’t seem realistic for someone to accomplish much.
(I’m also concerned about the two recent assassination attempts against Trump.) Political violence seems to be becoming the norm in our society, and the situation is becoming more volatile as we approach voting day.
Valier is a financial analyst. He lives in the Bronx and serves on the board of the NYYRC Catholic Caucus.
