Former Republican Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker thinks the conservative movement can learn something from the 2026 World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers: “Invest in the youth.”
That’s exactly what the Young America’s Foundation (YAF) will be doing with a new initiative launched Tuesday aimed at spending tens of millions of dollars to reach young people across the country with conservative values. Walker, president of YAF, says the organization’s “Freedom Not Socialism” campaign will take the fight over the future of the United States right into the heart of blue America.
“Support for socialism is at an all-time high, driven by young people, and we decided we got to do something about this,” Walker told The Daily Wire. “We can’t just focus on elections right now. We got to do something more dramatic.”
Part of the initiative will involve hosting events for high school students in deep-blue enclaves like Portland, Seattle, and New York City, where young people will hear from speakers who experienced socialism firsthand.
“If we’re ever going to make inroads there, it’s not going to come slowly through political campaigns,” Walker said. “It is going to come from a long-game approach of literally reaching out.”
The effort will launch in Los Angeles, which just elected democrat socialist City Councilmember Nithya Raman as its next mayor. Politicians associated with the radical Democratic Socialists of America have risen to power across the country in recent elections. At least six Democrat members of the DSA were elected last week running on platforms of Medicare for All and abolishing ICE.
Citing data showing younger Americans voted over 70% for Democrats on Election Day, Walker said now was the time to listen to their concerns about affordability and respond with conservative solutions. He argued most voters weren’t embracing democratic socialism, but saw Republicans as out of touch.
“It wasn’t that they were just against the war; many were, but it was that the war was a sign that, ‘Hey, gas went up, prices went up, and these people in Washington and elsewhere aren’t paying attention to the things that matter.’ We, as conservatives, got to show we’re paying attention,” Walker told The Daily Wire.
When speaking to college students, Walker said he will often tell them he agrees that the economy is rigged, but for different reasons. He said that the areas of health care and housing are prime opportunities for conservatives to advocate for cutting the burdensome building regulations that entangle states like California and to push for greater transparency and competition in health care pricing.
He said conservatives should not be stuck defending the status quo, arguing leftist policies and government meddling were the cause behind much of the rise in pricing for housing, education, and healthcare. Yet he added that Republicans need to spend time listening to the pain of Americans struggling economically.
“I look at this as a tremendous opportunity to reach out to young people and say, ‘We feel your pain. But the answer isn’t socialism. That just makes it worse.’ Now, we need to push for elected officials, candidates, who stand up for pure free markets, who get rid of crony capitalism,” Walker said.
One bright point for Republicans during the midterms came in Walker’s home state of Wisconsin when 26-year-old Michael Alfonso became the first Gen Z Republican elected to Congress.
Alfonso, the son-in-law of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, will appear at YAF’s “Freedom Caucus” at the Reagan Ranch in California from November 12 to 14, where he will speak alongside other Republican leaders like former Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin.
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