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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
J Oliver Conroy

College Republicans are fighting and the far right is benefiting: ‘It looks very childish’

Collage featuring Kai Schwemmer at the center, with Charlie Kirk, Donald Trump, and James Fishback around him, alongside Republican party symbols and a college campus background
Kai Schwemmer (center), a 23-year-old rightwing influencer with a history of provocation, was recently appointed the political director of College Republicans of America (CRA). Illustration: Guardian Design / Getty Images / Alamy / Shutterstock

When the Utah county clerk’s office announced last month that it was hiring Kai Schwemmer – an undergraduate at Brigham Young University and a rightwing influencer – to help reach younger voters, an uproar ensued.

An energetic and fast-talking 23-year-old, Schwemmer is a rising star of campus organizing at the College Republicans of America (CRA). He is also a prolific livestreamer with a record of provocation – which returned to haunt him when more than 80 prominent women in Utah signed a letter protesting against his hiring.

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