In July, New Braunfels Young Republicans (NBYR) were spatting publicly with then-Comal County Republican Party Chair Mark Montgomery, who they claim ghosted them because their treasurer, Canyon Lake resident D.J. Seeger, is openly gay.
NBYR’s Facebook page consisted mostly of unoriginal posts about monthly social events and upcoming political gatherings.
The Sept. 10 assassination of 31-year-old Turning Point founder and right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk at a rally in Utah galvanized the group, whose members range in age from 18 to 40.
County Republican Party Chair Anita Valdez describes Kirk’s murder as the young Republicans’ “JFK moment of loss and sorrow,” a reference to the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a Democrat who was the youngest person elected president at the age of 43.
“His (Kirk’s) dream is being realized by the youth waking up and realizing there is hope for their future,” she said.
Kirk is credited with helping to turn out the youth vote for President Donald Trump in 2024. NBYR plan to turn his legacy into a turning point for local young Republicans.
The group has scheduled a second memorial service, “An Evening to Honor Charlie Kirk,” for 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Gazebo in downtown New Braunfels.
NBYR President Zach Boyer said Kirk’s murder wasn’t just “on a young Republican — it was an assassination on our First Amendment.”
“ … People would say that he spread hate messages and hate speeches, like that type of rhetoric. He died defending, speaking about the constitution, our inalienable rights, and promoting his faith in the land (where) we continue to say, ‘God bless the USA.’”
Since the group’s first event, a Sept. 14 sunrise prayer vigil for Kirk, NBYR say they’ve been “flooded” with hundreds of texts, emails, calls, and comments from people offering to volunteer, donate, and help organize.
Membership has surged, and NBYR report they’re getting a lot of support from Republicans of all ages.
On Tuesday, Sept. 23 at a meeting dubbbed “Young Republicans Taking Back Our Generation,” NBYR will meet to identify strategies for getting more Repubicans to vote in the upcoming 2026 and 2028 elections, including identifying and engaging young conservative leaders on high school campuses; planning and hosting monthly young Republican rallies to educate and motivate young conservative voters; organizing groups of young Republicans to attend school board, city council and commissioners court meetings; and establishing a Young Republicans Community Action Committee to identify areas “of need” to bring before local and state leadership.
“When we feel heard, we get involved,” an administrator posted on social media.
“The decayed Democrats aren’t ready for what’s coming in 2026,” NBYR said in another post on Facebook. “This isn’t a war of words. We are coming to replace you. Starting right here in New Braunfels. We will replace every city council seat and school board seat that’s currently blue. We will block walk ‘til our shoes fall apart. We will wave our flags ‘til our arms wear out. We will win. We will win. We will win.”