From fracture to formation: What AmericaFest revealed about the next generation
By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice
I arrived late to the Young Conservatives of Colorado happy hour on Saturday night, nearly an hour after it had begun. The happy hour was already winding down in an outdoor hotel lounge in Phoenix. A small circle of college students and recent grads sat around a fireplace after a full day at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest. Some were holding drinks. The tone was relaxed amid laughter, but not rowdy.
They stayed long enough to share their thoughts.
By Saturday night, AmericaFest had already moved through its most turbulent phase. The opening night featured sharp internal disagreements that spread quickly across social media, forcing questions about tone, unity and the future direction of the conservative movement.
Atte...