On a brisk October morning in 2025, the political landscape for young conservatives was upended by a bombshell: Politico published a sweeping exposé revealing thousands of leaked messages from private group chats among leaders of the Young Republicans. The messages, exchanged between January and August of that year, were rife with racist, homophobic, antisemitic, and ableist slurs—over 250 instances, according to Politico’s analysis. The fallout was immediate, with calls for resignations, firings, and even a Congressional investigation echoing across the country.
The chats, hosted on Telegram and titled “RESTOREYR WAR ROOM,” involved a dozen prominent Young Republican figures from Kansas, New York, Arizona, Vermont, and other states. The content was not only offensive but also shockingly explicit. Some messages included slurs against gay people and Black people, while others referenced Nazi and white supremacist ideology. There were even instances of participants joking about raping political enemies and sending rivals to gas chambers—language that many, both inside and outside the party, found abhorrent. As reported by Politico, William Hendrix, vice chair of the Kansas Young Republicans, used the n-word more than a dozen times and expressed preference for the Missouri chapter because, in his words, “Missouri doesn’t like fags.”
The backlash was swift in Kansas. According to NPR, state GOP leaders wasted no time condemning the comments, emphasizing that they did not reflect the values of the Republican Party. On October 14, the Kansas chapter of the Young Republicans National Federation was deactivated, and Hendrix was fired from his job in the Kansas Attorney General’s office. Kansas Young Republicans chair Alex Dwyer, also a participant in the chat, was cited for using white supremacist slogans and dogwhistles such as “1488.” Kansas GOP chair Danedri Herbert called the messages “disgusting.”
But the reverberations didn’t stop at the state line. The Young Republican National Federation, the umbrella group for Republicans aged 18 to 40, issued a statement calling the exchanges “vile and inexcusable.” They demanded that “those involved must immediately resign from all positions within their state and local Young Republican organizations.” The Federation insisted, “We must hold ourselves to the highest standards of integrity, respect and professionalism.”
Other states were forced to take action as well. In New York, the situation quickly escalated. Several members of the New York State Young Republicans—including a recent chair and vice chair—were implicated in the chats. Peter Giunta, the former club president, was among those who lost their jobs, having been fired from his position as chief of staff to a state senator. Three other members of the club who participated in the chats were also let go. Facing mounting pressure, New York Republican leaders scheduled a meeting for October 16 to vote on disbanding the state’s Young Republicans group. As one state Republican official told Newsday, the move was intended as a “fresh start,” allowing the group to be reconstituted under new leadership.
Democratic and Republican politicians alike lined up to denounce the messages. New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, took to social media to demand that “everyone from the president down must forcefully condemn this,” specifically criticizing Vice President JD Vance for his reluctance to call out the behavior. Republican Representatives Elise Stefanik and Mike Lawler described the messages as “reprehensible,” though Stefanik later dismissed the Politico article as a “hit piece.” Senator Chuck Schumer, also from New York, lamented that “too many Republicans seem willing to call out violent rhetoric only when it comes from the other side. But these same Republicans never seem willing to denounce it when it comes from their own ranks, and that’s dangerous. Violent political rhetoric is an attack on everyone.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom, meanwhile, called for a Congressional investigation into the Young Republican chats, writing to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. The demand for accountability was echoed by civil rights leaders, including New York Representative Yvette Clarke, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, who wrote on X, “The future of the Republican Party proudly embraces bigotry that belongs in the past, and every American needs to recognize how dangerous that is.”
Yet, not all voices within the GOP were aligned. Vice President JD Vance, appearing on right-wing media and posting on Elon Musk’s X platform, downplayed the severity of the revelations. “The reality is that kids do stupid things, especially young boys,” Vance said, as reported by NPR and Them. “They tell edgy, offensive jokes. Like, that’s what kids do. And I really don’t want us to grow up in a country where a kid telling a stupid joke—telling a very offensive stupid joke—is cause to ruin their lives.” Vance referred to the outrage as “pearl clutching,” and insisted, “We’re not canceling kids because they say something stupid in a group chat, and if I have to be the person who carries that message forward, I’m with it. And by the way, if they were left-wing kids telling stupid left-wing jokes, I would also not want their lives to be ruined because they’re saying something stupid in a private group chat.”
However, as Mother Jones and Them pointed out, the individuals involved were not “kids” but adults in their mid- to late 20s and even early 30s, many of whom held positions of power within state and local government. Eight of the chat participants were between 24 and 35 years old, with the youngest being 24.
The leaks also exposed deeper issues within the Young Republicans’ ranks. Prior to the scandal, the New York chapter had already been plagued by infighting and budgetary problems, including missed financial filings and thousands of dollars in unpaid bills, according to Politico. The group’s internal strife now seemed almost trivial compared to the public relations disaster at hand.
Some implicated members attempted to defend themselves or shift blame. Giunta, for instance, apologized in a statement obtained by SILive.com but accused the New York City Young Republican Club of orchestrating a “highly-coordinated year-long character assassination” campaign against him. Vermont State Senator Samuel Douglass, another participant in the chat, claimed he was “unaware” of the messages’ content and had not decided whether to resign, despite demands from the state GOP.
As the dust began to settle, the broader conversation focused on what this episode revealed about acceptable speech and conduct in American politics. Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly criticized her state’s Republican Party for setting a poor example, referencing previous incidents where the party’s official social media accounts posted edited photos mocking her and making light of immigration issues. The scandal forced both parties to reckon with the boundaries of political discourse and the responsibilities of those in leadership roles.
While the future of the Young Republicans remains uncertain, one thing is clear: the events of October 2025 have ignited a fierce debate about accountability, free speech, and the standards to which political organizations—and their young leaders—should be held. The reverberations from these leaked messages will likely shape the tone and tenor of political engagement for years to come.
