RAISING THEM RIGHT

A close look at far-right activism among the younger electorate.

Drawing on more than 200 interviews conducted between 2018 and 2022, journalist Spencer produces an eye-opening report on the rise of ultraconservatism among young people, focusing intensively on three figures: Cliff Maloney (b. 1991), who rose to become president of Young Americans for Liberty; Charlie Kirk (b. 1993), founder of Turning Point USA; and Candace Owens (b. 1989), celebrated as a “Black YouTube sensation” and often appearing on Fox News. The movement promotes the anti-government, free-market ideas common to the far right. While Young Americans for Liberty aligns with libertarianism, Turning Point USA focuses on culture wars issues: anti-abortion, pro–gun rights, and climate change denial. Owens, promoting a stance she calls BLEXIT, is “unapologetically dismissive when others claimed Black victimhood” and pointed out “systemic racism.” Stop complaining about the impact of slavery, she has exhorted, and look to the future. After the election of Donald Trump, the movement’s rhetoric became increasing infused with expressions of cruelty, homophobia, and ethnic stereotyping. Besides chronicling the spread of right-wing views among young people, Spencer underscores Republicans’ enthusiastic support of strategic advice and significant amounts of money. Though ambitious, outspoken, and hardworking, the movements’ leaders would not have been able to gain widespread influence and attract followers without funding by wealthy, powerful conservatives such as Charles Koch and Robert and Rebekah Mercer, among other billionaires. YAL’s “Win the Door” campaign, aimed at electing ultraconservative candidates in state races, and TPUSA’s savvy deployment of online outlets fed into Republicans’ game plan—which, Spencer advises, could well serve as a model for Democrats, who historically have ignored young, progressive activists. Bringing just as much energy and determination as their conservative counterparts, these young people, writes Spencer, must be heard as well as supported wholeheartedly.

A dispiriting picture of deepening political polarization.