NPR

Political 'Counterculture': Young Republicans Hold Unique Space In The Trump Era

The GOP shed many young voters when Donald Trump was elected. Those remaining stand apart from most of their peers, while also breaking with older Republicans to chart a future for the party.
Donald Trump greets a crowd, including many younger supporters, after delivering his acceptance speech at the New York Hilton Midtown on election night 2016. Many younger voters have left the GOP since Trump took office.

Robert Lee, Chelsea Magee and Colt Chambers are political activists who all sound pretty typical for their generation when it comes to issues like immigration and same-sex marriage.

Lee, a self-described atheist, insists he doesn't "want to spend one dollar building a wall with Mexico." Magee, a 33-year-old in suburban Atlanta, says if you want to marry someone of the same sex then it's "between you, your spouse and God." And Chambers insists a "true Republican" shouldn't care about same-sex marriage because "the government shouldn't be so involved in everyone's every day lives."

But they are all activists. Lee is the former president of the Georgia Young

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
In W. Va. Primary, Establishment Candidates For Governor Highlight Culture War Issues
Several Republicans with deep ties to state politics vye in the primary to face the Democrat in November
NPR4 min read
Israel Expands Evacuation Orders In Rafah As Aid Groups Struggle To Prepare
Israel's military issued new evacuation orders in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah, forcing even more Palestinians to relocate on Saturday ahead of a likely expanded ground operation there.
NPR4 min read
Catalan Separatists Lose Majority As Spain's Socialists Win Regional Elections
Catalonia's separatist parties are in danger of losing their hold on power in the northeastern region after the pro-union Socialist Party scored a historic result in Sunday's election.

Related Books & Audiobooks