Resilient Leadership: The New York Young Republican Club’s Journey (2001-2023)

A Legacy of Advocacy, Growth, and Conservative Values in New York Politics

Introduction: Through these years, the New York Young Republican Club has demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and unwavering commitment to Republican values, solidifying its legacy as a cornerstone of Republican advocacy and leadership.

2001 – Divergence and Determination

In 2001, the 'Independent Club' distinguished itself within the New York Republican community by supporting Herman Badillo's candidacy for Mayor over Michael Bloomberg, the party establishment's choice and the 'Affiliated Club's' preferred candidate. Despite a fervent campaign effort, Bloomberg secured the nomination. The 'Independent Club' chose not to endorse Bloomberg, viewing him as a liberal Democrat.

2002 – Rallying for Pataki

The Club played a pivotal role in the reelection of Governor George Pataki to a third term. Former Club President Anton Srdanovic ran for Congress against Representative Carolyn Maloney. Mayor Michael Bloomberg appointed Club Alumnus Roy M. Goodman as President of the United Nations Development Corporation.

2003 – Strengthening Ties and Recognition

Club President Jason S. Weingartner was elected Chairman of the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs. The Club won the Club of the Year Award and partnered with Forza Italia Giovani. Despite efforts, three 'Independent Club' Board Members were unsuccessful in their bids for the New York City Council.

2004 – Convention and Campaigns

The Club provided the largest volunteer contingent to the Republican National Convention in New York City. Membership surpassed 580 dues-paying members. Mayor Bloomberg and other notable figures spoke at the Club's Annual Gala. The 'Independent Club' supported Michael Benjamin's Senate campaign against Chuck Schumer and President Paul A. Rodriguez's congressional run.

2005-2006 – Continued Excellence

Mayor Bloomberg addressed the Club at the Annual Gala. The Club received the Best Large Local Club Award from the Young Republican National Federation in 2005 and the Best Local Club Award from the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs in 2006.

2007 – Presidential Straw Poll and Appointments

The Club conducted the first New York Straw Poll for the 2008 Presidential Elections. President George W. Bush appointed Club Alumnus Michael B. Mukasey as United States Attorney General.

2008-2009 – Membership Growth and Leadership

The Club surpassed 1,000 dues-paying members in 2008. Five Club Members ran for various legislative seats. In 2009, Club President Lynn Krogh was elected Chairman of the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs, and Club Alumnus Edward F. Cox became Chairman of the New York State Republican Committee.

2011 – Centennial Gala

The Club hosted its 100th Annual Gala in 2011, maintaining 250 members. Khalil A. Haddad was elected Club President in 2012, presenting the Herbert Brownell Jr. Award to Michael B. Mukasey. The Club won the Best Club Website Award from the Young Republican National Federation.

2013-2015 – Awards and Campaigns

Brian R. Morgenstern was elected Club President in 2013, presenting awards to prominent figures. The 'Independent Club' elected Alysia J. Dagrosa as its first black female president. In 2015, under President Samantha M. McNeilly, the Club won the Club of the Year Award again.

2017-2019 – National Recognition

Former Club President Brian R. Morgenstern was appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Treasury in 2017. In 2018, Joseph Pinion III ran for the New York State Assembly, and Mike Beltran was elected to the Florida House of Representatives. By 2019, the Club regained its status as the largest Young Republican club in the country.

2020 – Bold Moves and Recognition

In 2020, Club President Gavin M. Wax received multiple accolades, and the Club formed partnerships with international conservative groups. The Club made headlines with a rally protesting the removal of President Teddy Roosevelt's statue and held its Annual Gala despite COVID-19 restrictions.

2021 – New Clubhouse and Local Wins

The Club secured a new Clubhouse and won several awards. Three Club members were elected to the New York City Council, and Joseph C. Borelli became Minority Leader. The Club played a significant role in Curtis Sliwa's mayoral nomination campaign.

2022 – Expansion and Advocacy

In 2022, the Club expanded its operational borders and surpassed 1,100 members. It supported key Republican candidates and launched the Catholic Caucus and Hispanic Caucus. The Club made its first international endorsement for Viktor Orbán and partnered with European conservative organizations.

2023 – Endorsements and International Influence

The Club endorsed President Donald J. Trump for reelection and established partnerships with conservative groups in Europe. The Club launched its Women's Caucus and Arts Caucus, enhancing its engagement efforts. The 111th Annual Gala featured President Trump as the keynote speaker, marking a significant event in the Club's history.

2024 - Coming Soon!

Through these years, the New York Young Republican Club has demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and unwavering commitment to Republican values, solidifying its legacy as a cornerstone of Republican advocacy and leadership.

Timeline

The following timeline describes key events in each year of the New York Young Republican Club’s existence, including our predecessor organizations, the New York Young Men’s Republican Union, and the New York Young Men’s Republican Club. It has culled from archival materials that the Club maintains, and research remains ongoing.

Source: History - New York Young Republican Club (nyyrc.com)

Author: President Gavin M. Wax

2001 – The ‘Independent Club' stood out among the New York Republican organizations and committees. Then ‘Independent Club’ President Robert H. Hornak and the ‘Independent Club’ leadership announced their support of Herman Badillo’s candidacy for Mayor of New York over the party establishment’s choice of Michael Bloomberg, whom the ‘Affiliated Club’ fully supported. Many Club members worked feverishly on the Badillo campaign, making a valiant effort, but Michael Bloomberg won the nomination in the end. After the primary, the ‘Independent Club‘ chose not to endorse the Republican candidate for mayor because it felt Bloomberg was truly a liberal Democrat.

2002 – The Club works closely with People for Pataki and is successful in getting Governor George Pataki reelected to a third term as Governor of New York. Former Club President Anton Srdanovic ran for Congress in the 14th Congressional District against Representative Carolyn Maloney. Mayor Michael Bloomberg named Club Alumnus Roy M. Goodman as the President of the United Nations Development Corporation, which sought to replace and then demolish the Headquarters of the United Nations

2003 – Club President Jason S. Weingartner was elected Chairman of the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs. Five ‘Affiliated Club’ members ran for the New York City Council. Future Club President Lynn Krogh becomes Deputy Press Secretary for Governor Pataki. The New York Young Republican Club wins the Club of the Year Award from the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs. The Club partners with Forza Italia Giovani, the youth wing of the Italian center-right Forza Italia party. Three Board Members of the ‘Independent Club’ unsuccessfully ran for New York City Council: Jennifer Arrangio, Jay Golub, and Josh Yablon. The Club maintains 375 members on its rolls.

2004 – The Club provides the largest volunteer contingent to the Republican National Convention in New York City. Club Member Emily Csendes ran a strong campaign for State Senate against Democrat incumbent Tom Duane, and Anton Srdanovic again challenged the incumbent for the 14th Congressional seat. The Club’s membership surpasses 580 dues-paying members. Mayor Michael Bloomberg is the keynote speaker for the Club’s 92nd Annual Gala. Other guests include former NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik, famed author, and pollster Kellyanne Conway, and Massachusetts Lt. Governor Kerry Healy. The ‘Independent Club’ strongly supported Michael Benjamin’s unsuccessful attempt to challenge Chuck Schumer for the United States Senate. The ‘Independent Club’ President Paul A. Rodriguez unsuccessfully ran for Congress in the 12th Congressional District.

2005 – Mayor Michael Bloomberg once again addresses the Club at the 93rd Annual Gala. The club received the Best Large Local Club Award from the Young Republican National Federation. The Club maintains 550 members on its rolls.

2006 – The club received the Best Local Club Award from the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs.

2007 – The Club creates the first New York Straw Poll for the 2008 Presidential Elections. President George W. Bush appointed Club Alumnus Michael B. Mukasey as the United States Attorney General. 

2008 – The Club surpasses 1,000 dues-paying members. Five Club Members ran for seats in the State Assembly, State Senate, and the House of Representatives.

2009 – Club President Lynn Krogh is elected as Chairman of the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs. Club Alumnus Edward F. Cox becomes the Chairman of the New York State Republican Committee.

2011 – The Club hosts its 100th Annual Gala. The Club maintains 250 members on its rolls.

2012 – Khalil A. Haddad was elected Club President and presented the Herbert Brownell Jr. Award to Club Alumnus and U.S. Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey. The Club received the Best Club Website Award from the Young Republican National Federation. 

2013 – Brian R. Morgenstern was elected Club President and presented the New York Young Republican Club Award (Previously the War Memorial Award) to U.S. Senator Tom Coburn. Former Club President Jason S. Weingartner was elected Chairman of the Young Republican National Federation and appointed Executive Director of the New York State Republican  Committee. The ‘Independent Club‘ elects Alysia J. Dagrosa as president. She is the first black female president of the ‘Independent Club.’

2014 – The Club leads deployments to New Hampshire in support of Scott Brown’s Senatorial campaign and New York’s 1st Congressional District in support of Lee Zeldin. The Club maintains 295 members on its rolls.

2015 – Under the presidency of Samantha M. McNeilly, the New York Young Republican Club wins the Club of the Year Award from the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs. The ‘Independent Club‘ largely ceases operations. 

2017 – Former Club President Brian R. Morgenstern is appointed as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of the Treasury.

2018 – Club Member Joseph Pinion III ran a vigorous campaign for the New York State Assembly in Yonkers. Club Alumnus Mike Beltran is elected to the Florida House of Representatives.

2019 – The Club regains the mantle as the largest Young Republican club in the country, with over 450 dues-paying members on the rolls. The Club led a successful deployment to help elect Bob Helbock as a Civil Court Judge on the North Shore of Staten Island. This was the first Republican victory for that seat in a generation. Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon was the Club’s keynote speaker for the 107th Annual Gala. Club Member Colin J. Schmitt was elected to the New York State Assembly, and Club Member Richard T. Loughery was elected as Chairman of the Young Republican National Federation. Club Member and City Councilman Joseph C. Borelli unsuccessfully ran for New York City Public Advocate. 

2020 – Club President Gavin M. Wax is awarded the Republican Youth of the Year Award from the Queens Village Republican Club, the oldest Republican Club in the country, founded in 1875. Club President Gavin M. Wax is also appointed as the Chairman of the Association of Young Republican Clubs and the Digital Director of the Young Republican National Federation. The Club forms official partnerships with Italy’s largest party, La Lega, and the Swedish conservative youth movement, Konservativa Förbundet. Former Club President Brian R. Morgenstern becomes the Deputy White House Press Secretary. The Club was awarded the Outstanding Club Social Media Award from the Young Republican National Federation. Board member Gabriel E. Montalvo is appointed North East Regional Director of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly. The Club made national and international headlines with its well-attended rally to protest against the removal of the Equestrian Statue of President Teddy Roosevelt outside the American Museum of Natural History. The Club’s 108th Annual Gala also generated massive press and publicity due to the Club’s defiance of New York City’s COVID-19 lockdown, choosing to hold the gala across the river in New Jersey. Club Member and Chairman of the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs Brian M. Maher is elected Montgomery Town Supervisor. Two Club Members, Dylan Stevenson, and George Santos, both unsuccessfully ran for Congress. Club Member Mike Martucci was successfully elected to the New York State Senate.

2021 – The Club secures its own Clubhouse for the first time in 60 years. The Club wins the Club of the Year Award from the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs. President Gavin M. Wax is unanimously elected to serve as Corresponding Secretary for the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs. Club Corresponding Secretary Ilana A. Marcus was unanimously elected to serve as National Committeewoman, and Sergeant-at-Arms Fernando Acosta Jr. was appointed Metro Regional Vice-Chairman. Club Member Peter R. Giunta was elected unanimously as the new Chairman of the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs, and Club Member John Kyriakides was reelected as the organization’s National Committeeman. The Club was successful in helping to elect three of its members to the New York City Council: David Michael Carr from Staten Island, Vickie Paladino from Queens, and New York City Council Minority Whip Inna Vernikov from Brooklyn. Club Member Joseph C. Borelli becomes Minority Leader in the New York City Council, presiding over the most prominent Republican Caucus in that body in many decades. Four additional Club members unsuccessfully ran for City Council: Vanessa Simon, Jackie Toboroff, Michael Conigliaro, and Mark Szuszkiewicz. Club Member Thomas Kenniff would also unsuccessfully run for Manhattan District Attorney. Outside of the city, Club Member Benjamin N. Geller was elected to the Dutchess County Legislature. In the Republican Party, Club Member John Burnett was elected as the executive vice-chairman of the New York State Republican Committee. Club Member Anthony Reinhart is elected as the Chairman of the Richmond County Republican Committee on Staten Island. Lastly, Augustus O. LeRoux was elected as Chairman of the New York Federation of College Republicans. The Club would prove instrumental in winning Curtis Sliwa the Republican nomination for Mayor of New York City, though he would ultimately lose to Eric Adams in the general election. The Club organized a ‘Re-Occupy’ Wall Street rally that received national and international press. Club Member Brendan Lantry is elected to the New York City Civil Court. 

2022 – Congresswoman and Chair of the House Republican Conference Elise Stefanik, Congressman Lee Zeldin, and Congresswoman Claudia Tenney formally joined the Club. The Club expanded its operational borders to include the entire New York City Metropolitan Area, and the Club adopted its first motto, ‘Ubi Historia Partis Futuro‘, which is translated from Latin means ‘Where the Party’s past Meets its Future‘. The Club surpassed 1,100 dues-paying members for the first time in decades. The Club’s newly formed Catholic Caucus, led by Chairman Michael R. Bartels, defended the entrance of and barred pro-abortion protestors from entering the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in Lower Manhattan. The Club’s Hispanic Caucus made history when it marched in the annual Dominican Day Parade, marking the first time a Republican Club marched in that parade. The Club’s influence was evidenced in the New York State Republican Committee‘s designation of candidates for the 2022 election, which included Club Member and Congressman Lee Zeldin for Governor, who ran against fellow Club Member Andrew Giuliani in the Republican Primary; former Club President Paul Rodriguez for State Comptroller; Club Member Michael Henry for Attorney General; and former Club Secretary and Club Member Joe Pinion for United States Senate. Club Members George Santos and Marc Molinaro were successfully elected to the United States House of Representatives. Club Members Brian Maher and Lester Chang were successfully elected to the New York State Assembly. Club Member Vanessa Simon was elected the New York State Republican Committee Secretary. The Publications Chairman, Nicholas T. Rafael Jr., marked the 1st anniversary of the Club’s newsletter, ‘The Record,’ since its revival in May 2021. The Club endorsed Viktor Orbán for his successful re-election as Prime Minister of Hungary, which marked the Club’s first international endorsement. Club President Gavin M. Wax traveled to Budapest to speak at the inaugural European CPAC, CPAC Hungary. The New York Young Republican Club and the Ring Freiheitlicher Jugend Österreich (Freedom Youth of Austria) announced the formation of a partnership to promote cultural exchange between their respective members and celebrate their shared heritage. The Club established a partnership with Jünge Alternative für Deutschland, the youth wing of the Alternative für Deutschland political party. Club President Gavin M. Wax won litigation, which the Club supported, to overturn an unconstitutional New York State Assembly district map. The Court decision vindicated the rights of New Yorkers to have free and fair elections. The Club raised over $20,000 for Tunnels to Towers. Club Member Brendan Lantry is elected to the New York Supreme Court.

2023 – The Club was one of the first organizations in the nation to officially endorse President Donald J. Trump for reelection and called on Republicans to stand with the President. President Trump thanked the Club for its support in a signed letter. The Club sent a delegation to Hungary where Club President Gavin M. Wax was once again a featured speaker at CPAC Hungary in Budapest, where he also had a substantive meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The Club established a transatlantic partnership with Budapest-based Center for Fundamental Rights to bolster Judeo-Christian values, fight left-wing progressivism, and unite conservative forces internationally. This partnership culminated in a jointly organized gala in Budapest, which featured Hungarian President Katalin Novák. President Wax also addressed members of the German Bundestag in Berlin and members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The Club’s voice resonated globally once again with the endorsement of Nayib Bukele for the presidency of El Salvador, which marked the Club’s second international endorsement. On the home front, the Club launched its Women’s Caucus to engage women in the Republican party further, and the Arts Caucus recognized the gaping need for a conservative voice in creative fields. The Club also unveiled a new Policy Platform spearheaded by Club Sergeant-at-Arms Troy M. Olson. The Club officially partnered with Washington D.C. Young Republicans on initiatives prioritizing the organization’s shared national populist values. The Club received the Outstanding Recruitment Award from the Young Republican National Federation at the Young Republican National Convention. The Club hosted the “Rally for Trump” event with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene to protest the political arrest of Former President Donald J. Trump in lower Manhattan. The Club proudly hosted its 111th Annual Gala at Cipriani Wall Street, featuring the 45th President, Donald J. Trump, as the keynote speaker. The event featured speakers such as Representative Matt Gaetz and Senator Roger Marshall, enhancing the evening with insights into national security, veterans’ affairs, and conservative values. This gathering signified a momentous occasion, bringing together members and guests to celebrate resilience and engage in discussions pivotal to the Club’s mission.