With President Donald Trump set to exit the Oval Office in a little more than two years, a crop of young Republicans is seeking to take up the “America First” mantle.
Several candidates running for Congress captivated the grassroots audience at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, and all had one signature promise: take on the establishment.
And while some Republicans want to move to the middle in a year when they’re facing political headwinds, others, particularly those challenging sitting incumbents in primary races, are pushing the party to move further to the right.
Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Northeastern University, said competitive primaries have become more common in recent years, and Republicans risk isolating voters outside their base if they elect candidates who are too far to the right.
“If the party is perceived to be drifting too far in a conservative direction, historically speaking, the general tendency has been to revert back toward more moderate or more centrist positions,” Panagopoulos said. “Overall, in the nation as a whole, there seems to be a greater willingness to embrace more moderate policy than extreme positions in either ideological direction.”
But candidates running races against moderation beg to differ. Here are a few to keep an eye on this cycle.
Brandon Herrera
Herrera became the GOP nominee for Texas’ 23rd District when incumbent Rep. Tony Gonzales dropped out of his reelection contest following an affair with a staffer, who later died by self-immolation.
Herrera, 30, is best known for being a pro-gun YouTuber known as “the AK Guy.” He’s backed by the House Freedom Caucus’s campaign arm and unsuccessfully challenged Gonzales last cycle, accusing him of being weak on conservative issues, such as border security.
Herrera said he decided to run because of Gonzales’ voting record and credited his primary success to grassroots support over large political influences. The political newcomer added that Texas is signaling a sea change for Republicans.
“We are doing some housecleaning this cycle,” Herrera said. “We’re getting rid of the RINOs who have been representing Texas for too long.”
Steve Toth
Another Freedom Caucus-backed candidate, Steve Toth, made national news when he defeated Rep. Dan Crenshaw in a primary by more than 15 points.
Toth is a state representative and has had one of the most conservative voting records in the Texas legislature.
He told Bloomberg Government he wasn’t surprised by his margin of victory, based on conversations with voters on the ground. Toth praised Crenshaw for his military service as a Navy SEAL, but said an impressive career doesn’t always “translate into favorability” when it comes to his voting record.
Toth’s top issue is border security, and he said he’s in talks with Freedom Caucus members about reinforcing their ranks, as several senior members are leaving the House to run for statewide offices.
“You’ll never see me on the wrong side of a vote with the House Freedom Caucus,” Toth said. “I love those guys. They’re great people.”
Paul Dans
Paul Dans, who was in the Office of Personnel Management in Trump’s first term, is challenging Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
He’s calling himself an original “Make America Great Again” supporter and is best known for spearheading Project 2025.
Dans resigned from his role at the Heritage Foundation after Project 2025 became a political attack point by Democrats, and sought to shift blame to Trump advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita.
Now, he says he’s fighting “faux MAGA” officials in Washington and pitching an alternative option to Graham, who he’s called “extremely unpopular” in South Carolina.
Dans said he wants to be part of the next generation of conservatives who can help move the party further to the right.
“It’s going to be much more conservative in the future,” Dans told Bloomberg Government. “There’s going to be a very big reaction to any sort of departure from the promises that MAGA put forth.”
Dans raised concerns about those around the president who aren’t loyal to the “America First” movement.
“I would not be running for Senate, were it not for Lindsey Graham being in the president’s ear,” Dans said.
Joe Mitchell
Former Iowa state Rep. Joe Mitchell, 28, seeking to succeed Rep. Ashley Hinson, who’s running for Senate.
Backed by Trump, Mitchell said he’s running on three campaign promises: not taking corporate PAC money, advocating for term limits, and fighting to ban stock trading in Congress—a bipartisan issue that’s become widely popularized, particularly by younger House members.
Mitchell also said he rejected backing from members he deems not true conservatives.
“I’ve been endorsed by people like Jim Jordan, Anna Paulina Luna, Brandon Gill, and so we’re endorsed by all the right people,” Mitchell said. “Any of the RINOs that wanted to endorse me, I said, ‘I don’t want your endorsement.’ We only want endorsements from conservatives.”
David Flippo
Air Force veteran David Flippo picked up a string of conservative endorsements last week in his quest to succeed retiring Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.) in a safe red seat.
Flippo campaigned to challenge Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.) in 2024, but lost in the GOP primary. He initially ran for the same district before switching to run in Nevada’s 2nd District last month and has won early, high-profile support in an ultra-competitive primary.
Flippo has met with the White House political team and the House GOP campaign arm, and has several national endorsements, including Arizona Reps. Eli Crane, Paul Gosar, and Abe Hamadeh, as well as former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz. Flippo is also backed by CPAC and Turning Point.
“We need to give President Trump the firepower he needs to fight the liberals in Washington,” Flippo said in his campaign video.
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