American Ascent, a 501(c)(4) launched Monday, plans to recruit, train, and back America First candidates to challenge older incumbents in 2028. The group is partnering with Turning Point Action, the Claremont Institute, and the Oversight Project, all allies of Vice President JD Vance, as reported by Politico.
The coalition is clearly Vance-aligned. American Ascent will put promising recruits through a leadership program called the “Fellowship for American Ascent,” with applications expected to open in early December.
The organization has compiled data on House, Senate, and gubernatorial opportunities for 2028 based on candidate age, reelection plans, fundraising history, and related factors. American Ascent’s website cites public polling showing roughly 80% support for a maximum age limit for congressional candidates and a preference for younger primary candidates. Of the 434 House members-elect of the next Congress with ages on file, 170 will be 60 or older on January 3, 2027, and 36 will be 75 or older, according to American Ascent. Kentucky Rep. Hal Rogers, 88, has served in Congress since 1981. Outgoing Sen. Mitch McConnell, 84, missed 83 of 262 roll-call votes this year.
American Ascent, the 501(c)(4), is also the parent nonprofit of a separately incorporated 501(c)(3), the American Ascent Foundation, for charitable and educational activities. The 501(c)(4) launched with an initial $12 million commitment from Thomas Klingenstein, who is listed as chairman. He is a longtime Claremont Institute board chair and major GOP megadonor.
A 501(c)(4) generally does not have to disclose additional donors and is working closely with the American Leadership PAC led by Andy Surabian, a longtime aide to both JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr.
The president, Ryan Neuhaus, former Heritage Foundation chief of staff, said the party lost young voters when it drifted from the agenda that won in 2024. “Young voters are inclined to support the 2024 agenda, one that has populist economics, it’s nationalist in nature, it’s done with the foreign adventurism, it puts the interests of the American people first from a quality of life standpoint, one that is faithful and religious, it recognizes who its Creator is and wants to uphold His laws in society,” Neuhaus said.
“For too long, the Republican Party has relied on rerunning candidates over and over again,” Neuhaus said. “The American people told us pretty clearly that they want to see younger, more energetic politicians leading in America, representing them. They want to feel closely connected to them, and American Ascent is going to accomplish that.” “I think part of the problem that happened in the midterms is we departed from the agenda, and I think that’s what young people want,” he added. “And they’re not seeing that being given to them, so they’re frustrated.”
The numbers line up with his statements. Young men backed Democratic House candidates 59% to 37% in the midterms, a 22-point margin, after supporting Trump 56% to 42% in 2024, according to CIRCLE’s analysis of NORC and AP VoteCast data. For the first time in its history, a Harvard Youth Poll found more young Americans expect to be worse off financially than their parents (27%) than better off (25%). The median first-time homebuyer is now 40 years old, according to the National Association of Realtors.
American Ascent’s vice president, Jackson Hines, a former close advisor to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said that pain is pushing young people toward the left. “While Neo Cons wonder why these people become radical socialists, American Ascent believes it is imperative that we dissuade voters from reaching for the thorny branch of communism, and instead reach for the olive branch of Republican populism,” Hines said.
Hines blamed congressional leadership for ignoring President Trump. “The only thing neoconservatives care to ‘conserve’ is their right to block the leader of the free world’s mandate by scapegoating with phony ‘process,'” Hines said. “The young people in our country are looking for fighters to champion massive reforms for their benefit.”
Neuhaus named Vance, Texas Rep. Brandon Gill, and Utah Sen. Mike Lee as the kind of leaders young voters want, and pointed to Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt and Rep.-elect Jace Yarbrough as candidates “inspirational to the base.” Gill was elected to Congress in 2024 at just 30.
Democrats already ousted several older incumbents in their primaries. American Ascent’s message is blunt. If Republicans want to hold onto the next generation, the time is now. The 2028 cycle puts dozens of seats held by members 60, 70, or older in play. The data, the polling, and the midterm results all point toward younger, more energetic America First candidates who stay faithful to the 2024 agenda. Otherwise, the party risks losing the young voters who once moved its way. The window is wide open.
