For one young boy, the 2016 presidential debates were about far more than choosing the next leader of the free world. For 10-year-old Brilyn Hollyhand, they sparked a life-altering political interest.
Now, at age 17, Hollyhand is the co-chair of the RNC’s inaugural Youth Advisory Council, the editor-in-chief of The Truth Gazette, a website owner, a conservative podcast host, and an active voice for the Republican youth vote.
At 17, he is too young to vote in the presidential primary in his home state of Alabama. He is eager, however, to vote in November’s 2024 election, and he wants to bring as many young voters to the polls as possible.
He is facing a seemingly insurmountable task. Younger voters support Democrats by a wide margin, basing their vote on progressive promises and policies. But Hollyhand and his fellow members in the Youth Advisory Council are working to bring the conservative message to the youth by meeting them online, where they “live.”
Hollyhand has experienced the threat of the progressive agenda firsthand. He noted that he was worried that affirmative action would negatively impact his ability to gain admittance into top colleges. When the Supreme Court made its decision to end race-based admissions, he was predictably happy to have earned a fair shot as a “straight, white male.”
It was a decision that C.J. Pearson, co-chairman of the RNC youth advisory council, cheered as well. Pearson, native to Georgia, represents the Black youth vote and was happy that admission to college would be linked to his merit and achievements rather than his race.
Fifteen-year-old KellyAnna Brooking is no stranger to controversial topics like defunding the police and CRT. She has been a fixture on right-leaning news outlets like One America News and Newsmax and has a significant following on her Instagram page, “A Few Words,” which features interviews with prominent conservatives.
These teens represent a political movement that Republicans are beginning to see as essential to its strategy. All over the country, youth-oriented conservative organizations are gaining strength and membership as young voters grow weary of liberalism and the damage it inflicts, both in schools and universities as well as the country.
Groups like Young America’s Foundation, Young Americans for Freedom, and Teenage Republicans are breathing hope back into conservative youth, offering them the support and platforms they need to connect with each other and young voters across the nation.
Hollyhand, in a recent interview with Fox & Friends, observed that Genn Z and millennials will comprise the largest voting base in the 2024 election. He also noted that three out of four teenagers are not members of any political party and emphasized that Republicans need to bolster the support of this important demographic to win.
The young conservative observed that his generation understands that disastrous economic policies of the Biden administration have affected every aspect of their lives, from going out to eat with friends to filling their tanks. He believes that although they are young, they are personally aware that they, and their parents, fared far better under the leadership of former president Donald Trump.
The young conservative icon spoke to many Gen Z’ers while he was on the campaign trail and said that each one expressed the failing economy as their number one concern. The economy, Hollyhand explained, not only affects parents and grandparents – it directly affects America’s youth as well.
Nonpartisan predictions suggest that in the upcoming 2024 election, there could be a significant increase in the number of young and diverse Gen Z voters, with an estimated 7 million to 9 million more Gen Z individuals casting their ballots compared to the 2020 election. Conversely, the number of predominantly white Baby Boomers and older generations heading to the polls may decrease by a corresponding amount.
This shift in demographics could lead to a historic moment where, for the first time, the combined voting power of Gen Z and Millennials equals that of the Baby Boomers and their older counterparts. These two younger generations could collectively wield as much influence in the election as the groups that have traditionally held most of the voting power for many years.
In a world dominated by “David Hoggs” and “Greta Thunbergs,” it’s refreshing to see that young conservative activists are making a stand against the progressive agenda. Unlike their young and vocal liberal peers, they have common sense, aren’t brainwashed, and have an unwavering commitment to America.
