Young Republican leaders across the nation have exchanged racist texts that have been leaked in a new report, landing the New York GOP in the crossfire.
Politico reported that the Telegram messages labeled black people monkeys and “the watermelon people” and also called for rape against their political opponents, among other examples. The texts were written by Young Republicans in New York, Kansas, Arizona, and Vermont.
The New York State Young Republicans group was the most vocal in the group chat. In one instance, one of the group’s leaders said, “I love Hitler,” and mused about placing their enemies in gas chambers. Another leader in the New York GOP group wondered about the possibility of the chat getting leaked.
In the hours since the report was published, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) denounced the messages and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) over her previous praise of the state’s Young Republicans.
When asked by a reporter whether the messages reflect “some bad apples,” Hochul excoriated Republicans and suggested they are condoning the behavior.
“Some bad apples? These are the future of the Republican Party,” the Democratic governor answered. “This is so vile it is hard to find the words to put into context that these are people who are part of a political party — one of two major parties — and they believe in gas chambers and rape and discrimination based on the color of people’s skin. These are racist, sexist, disgusting remarks.”
Hochul then criticized Stefanik for labeling New York City’s Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani a “jihadist” and “terrorist,” called on Republicans to do a “reexamination” of their rhetoric, and floated possible punishments for the Young Republican leaders who wrote the hateful messages.
“Kick them out of the party. Take away their official roles. Stop using them as campaign advisers,” she said. “There needs to be consequences. This bulls*** has to stop.”
Stefanik previously described the New York State Young Republicans as “the backbone of our party.” The congresswoman is also tied to the group through an award she was gifted in August.
“As the proud representative of NY’s 21st District, and the House Republican Leadership Chair, I am honored to receive the distinguished designation of Congresswoman of the Year!” Stefanik said in a statement at the time. “I want to thank Bobby Walker, Peter Giunta, and all of the hardworking Young Republicans who are the backbone of our party, for all the work they do to ensure Republican victories up and down the ballot in New York.”
Bobby Walker and Peter Giunta were two of the leaders who exchanged some of the texts that are now under scrutiny.
Hochul’s campaign called on Stefanik to return the award following the report.
“Elise Stefanik can’t hide behind staff to denounce the antisemitic, racist, hateful individuals she endorsed, funded, and praised as the ‘backbone’ of the Republican Party,” a spokesperson for Hochul’s campaign said, per Politico. “These are her people who said ‘I love Hitler’ and named her their congresswoman of the year — an award she still hasn’t returned. Stefanik’s silence tells New Yorkers where she stands and who she stands with.”
In response to her connections to the group, Stefanik’s campaign committee noted she has never employed any member of the group chat.
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“According to the description provided by Politico, the comments were heinous, antisemitic, racist, and unacceptable,” a strategist for Stefanik said. “If the description by Politico is accurate, Congresswoman Stefanik calls for any NY Young Republicans responsible for these horrific comments in this chat to step down immediately.”
Stefanik hasn’t yet entered next year’s race for governor of New York, although she is expected to make an announcement after next month’s elections. Until then, she is raising money for a possible gubernatorial bid. Meanwhile, Hochul is preparing to launch her reelection campaign.