Alabama’s Republican Party has launched a new initiative called Project Future Generation, aimed at connecting young people with the GOP through outreach, local party engagement and direct involvement in party activity.
The effort was spotlighted at a Republican rally in Northwest Alabama on Monday, where Project Future Generation leader Harrison Chandler, a high school senior, addressed a crowd described as mostly Baby Boomers and members of Generation X. Chandler spoke after the audience watched a tribute video to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was assassinated, which had first been shown at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas.
“The question that we need to sit with tonight is: what are we going to do with what we have been given?” Chandler told the crowd. “Charlie Kirk believed that young Americans were the future, were not just the future of our country, but that we had a responsibility to the present. And I believe the exact same thing, and that’s why I’m here tonight. I believe that the future of America is worth fighting for.”
Chandler told attendees that Kirk had shown young people “their voices matter, their values matter, and that politics is not just about their parents or grandparents.” He added: “We don’t have to wait until we are older, until we can make a difference, but that we can make a difference right now. Young people are asking questions. And young people are realizing that the future of America is in their hands.”
Who’s behind the initiative
Project Future Generation was founded by Brilyn Hollyhand, a conservative commentator who chairs the Republican National Committee’s Youth Advisory Council. Hollyhand, now a student at Auburn University, has been active as a conservative commentator since fourth grade.
Hollyhand has argued publicly that Generation Z should lead opposition to Democratic policies. In a post on X, he wrote: “Gen-Z is paying for gas for the first time. They’re buying groceries for the first time. They’re paying rent for the first time. They’re about to start families. Gen-Z must be the generation that pushes back against the Left & restores the American Dream before it’s too late.”
Chandler, addressing the older members of Monday’s crowd directly, called on them to support young activists stepping into leadership roles. “The adults here tonight, continue to encourage this next generation,” he said. “Give them opportunities to lead. Give them opportunities to carry this responsibility forward. And continue to remind them of why this country is so special and why they are so blessed to live here.”
The rally and the launch of Project Future Generation come as Alabama Republicans look ahead to the 2026 midterm elections, in which control of Congress is at stake.
