College Republicans diversify

Across the U.S., the Republican Party has become heavily associated with the Trump administration. After former President Donald Trump’s loss in 2020, the College Republicans have regrouped and reorganized.

“Trump often gets associated with the Republican Party,” said Haley Christiansen, vice president and CSB first-year student. “We’d like to start on a clean slate and steer away from some of the idiotic things Trump has said throughout his presidency.”

The College Republicans focus on hosting speakers and meetings on campus to engage students in open conversation on a variety of topics.

“We are a club that allows students to voice their opinions about popular political and social issues that are going on in the world,” said Tiana Johnson, College Republicans President and CSB sophomore. “You don’t have to associate with a political party to be involved. It’s a place to come and listen and contribute diversity of thought.”

The organization is sponsoring an event with Kendall Qualls, a former congressional candidate and president of TakeCharge MN, an organization aimed at empowering the Black community. Qualls is affiliated with Turning Point USA, a conservative youth-based political action group. The event was initially scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m., but it has since been pushed back due to a scheduling conflict with Qualls.

“It’s good to have people of color representing the Republican community,” Christiansen said. “I think it strays away from the stereotype of being Republican and being racist.”

The event was initially co-sponsored by the McCarthy Center, Turning Point USA and the College Republicans. However, the McCarthy Center has since removed their logo to due to inconsistencies with the CSB/SJU human rights policy, academic freedom and the mission of the organization.

The GOP party has been historically supported by male voters. Pew Research data from 2019 showed that 38% of women voted for Republican-affiliated candidates. However, the College Republicans have seen more female participation within the past years.

“Of the 125 students we signed up this year, around 60% were Bennies,” said Caleb Jungling, former Vice President and SJU senior, via email. “Thus far at our meetings, attendance was exactly split half Bennie, half Johnnie—not to mention our executive board is now majority Bennie.”

For Johnson, it is important to have a diverse face to the organization.

“It’s surprising to some people that I’m the president and the executive board alone is 75% female,” Johnson said.

The College Republicans and College Democrats have collaborated in the past.

“The College Democrats and College Republicans have come together for joint meetings, where we discuss current events and allow for everyone to openly speak opinions and share knowledge about the topics,” said Grace Terlinden, College Democrats Vice President, via email. “We do plan on having more joint meetings to maintain dialogue between the two clubs.”

“If we can work together with them to find similarities and common ground, it would help show that College Republicans want what is best for the general public,” Christiansen said.

By partnering with their fellow organization, Jungling hopes to open up opportunities for discussion.

“I wanted to show people that by being a part of College Republicans, you aren’t just participating in an echo chamber of political likeness, but rather learning about and developing your own thought process and ideals,” Jungling said.

Johnson also brought up the importance of contradicting opinions.

“We don’t have meetings so we can all agree,” Johnson said. “Politics isn’t always present in everyday life, so it is fun to have a space to debate.”