YAF Announces 30-City ‘Freedom Not Socialism’ Push After Youth Vote Shifts Left

Young America’s Foundation (YAF) is announcing plans to launch a new initiative aimed at warning young Americans of the dangers of socialism.

The program, called “Freedom Not Socialism,” will bring conservative voices to high schools and colleges in dozens of cities nationwide over the next two years, YAF President and former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told Townhall.

“We looked at a mapping of the 30 most liberal, radicalized cities in America, and said over the next two years, we want to get to every one of these cities to bring these special one-day programs where we’re reaching out to young people, and showing them how to fight back against socialism,” Walker said.

The tour will kick off at YAF’s November Freedom Conference on November 12-14 at the group’s Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara, California, with speakers including former Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, U.S. Representative-elect Michael Alfonso, and Walker, before setting out for cities across the country.

“This campaign is about speaking the truth in ways that are powerful and tangible to young people,” Walker said.

The program’s first stop will be in Los Angeles, followed by planned stops including Chicago, Minneapolis, New York City, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle. Walker said the city programs will initially target high school students but will also include college speaking events.

Regardless of the city, Walker said he hopes to see “packed events.”

“If you get 800 to 1,000 young people in each of these cities, who are now not just inspired, but equipped to go out and make a difference, that’s like a tidal wave of reaching out to other young people in that area,” Walker said.

The announcement of the initiative follows the results of last week’s midterm elections, in which young voters overwhelmingly voted for Democrat candidates. A Tufts University poll found 54 percent of white male voters aged 18 to 29 voted for Democrat candidates, compared with 43 percent for Republicans. In 2024, roughly 63 percent of young men of the same demographic voted for President Trump, and 35 percent voted for Kamala Harris.

Walker attributed some of the shift among young voters to continued frustration with the economy, rather than complete changes in ideology. 

“Two years later, they’re still upset even though things have gotten somewhat better,” Walker said. “They’re still upset. And so now they were willing to give, not just Democrats, but particularly Democratic socialist candidates, a try.”

But Walker said YAF’s new initiative aims to make the case that free-market principles offer a better answer to young voters’ economic concerns than the policies promoted by democratic socialists.

“We’ve just got to make a better case, long term, about why the things that socialists promise don’t work, and make a better case for that,” Walker said.

Walker said each day-long event will include keynote speakers from various voices in the conservative movement with time dedicated to a question-and-answer session, as well as breakout sessions for students to engage with the ideas presented at the event.

“We’re not there just to inspire or even educate. We’re there to equip,” Walker said. “A key part of our training is how do you take what you’ve heard, take what you’ve learned, and then take it back to your campus, back to your school, back to your community, back online, and actually find ways to bring speakers in, to do activism projects, to persuade people in the classroom, on campus or online, so that you have a multiplier effect.”

Walker said economist Daniel Di Martino, who grew up in socialist Venezuela before he and his family escaped to the United States, will be a recurring speaker at the events and will draw on his own experience to make the case for free markets.

“He’ll be a key part of that just because he’s got such a powerful message,” Walker said.

Walker said reaching students who are still forming their political views requires listening to their concerns and responding directly to people who disagree.

“One of the most effective tools in reaching curious or undecided people is how you respond to people who disagree with you,” Walker said, noting this tactic was something Charlie Kirk did well. “If you let people disagree with you, get up and call you nasty things and then ask a question, and then you calmly but boldly, counter that with the truth…that’s very effective with people who are up in the air because they’re like, ‘Oh, he wasn’t bothered by that, he actually answered that. He countered what I heard before.’”

With the midterms recently finished, Walker said it’s time to prepare for future elections and help young voters be informed about the dangers of socialism.

“We can’t just wait until two years from now, we’ve got to do it now,” Walker said. “And that’s the heart of this Freedom Not Socialism.”

Editor’s Note: The Democrat Party has been infected by socialism, and it’s spreading FAST. Democrats are claiming there’s nothing to worry about, but we know the truth.

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