Pennsylvania Young Republicans

The Pennsylvania Young Republicans (PAYR) is an organization for members of the Republican Party of the United States between the ages of 18 and 40 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Also known as the Young Republicans of Pennsylvania or the Pennsylvania Federation of Young Republicans, the organization is composed of chapters located in counties in Pennsylvania.

The chapters of the Pennsylvania Young Republicans are both social and political in nature. Many of them sponsor various social events and networking events for members. In addition, the chapters assist Republican political candidates and causes.

The oldest Young Republican chapter in Pennsylvania is the Chester County Young Republican chapter which was founded on July 4, 1931.

The Pennsylvania Young Republican organization is an ACTIVE member of the Young Republican National Federation.

Organizational structure

The PAYR is the parent organization for its local chapters. The state organization approves and oversees its local chapters, primarily organized by county or multi-county bodies.

The PAYR is led by the state Chairman. The Chairman is head of the Executive Committee, which includes the Vice Chair, National Committee Man & National Committee Woman, Treasurer, Secretary, Executive Director and appointees of the Chairman. The Chairman also leads the Board of Directors, an advisory body composed of appointees and the chairs of officially-recognized chapters.

State officers are elected at biannual state conventions during odd-years. Voting rights belong to each member of the Executive Committee and delegates appointed by local chapters.

Chapters May Be formally recognized by the state organization after having a small group of active members petition for a charter and by having the chapter re-apply on an annual basis. Unsanctioned chapters are those who have not gained formal approval from the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania Young Republicans and are in violation of trademark laws when using the term "Young Republican" which is owned by the Young Republican National Federation and, through the formal association with the national organization, granted to its chapters by the Pennsylvania Young Republicans.

The PAYR is officially recognized by the Republican Party of Pennsylvania with its state chairman serving as a member of the state party's leadership committee. The YRNF owns the trademark to the term "Young Republican" and the YRNF logo.

PA Young Republican Leadership

As of the 2017 State Convention in Hershey, Pennsylvania, the PAYR Executive Committee consists of:

  • Chairman: Rick Loughery of Chester County, Pennsylvania
  • Vice-Chair: Eric Reath of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
  • National Committeeman: Jonathon Hauenschild of Butler County, Pennsylvania
  • National Committeewoman: Laura Wagoner of Chester County, Pennsylvania
  • Secretary: LeeAnn Kapanick of Crawford County, Pennsylvania
  • Treasurer: Derrick Backer of Snyder County, Pennsylvania
  • Executive Director: Bryant Glick of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
  • General Counsel: Alex Egner of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
  • College Republican Ambassador: Brandon Ferrance of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
  • Awards Committee Chair: Justin Borreggine of Chester County, Pennsylvania
  • Bylaws Committee Chair: Nick Cocco of Delaware County, Pennsylvania
  • Campaign Committee Chair: Brittany Rieker of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
  • Communications Committee Chair: Greg Manz of Chester County, Pennsylvania
  • Finance Committee Chair: Carl Eppolito of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Strategic Planning Committee Chair: Kaytee Moyer of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

PA Young Republican Chapters

Official chapters of the Pennsylvania Young Republicans (with date of establishment):

  • Bedford County Chapter (2017)
  • Berks County Chapter (2017)
  • Butler County Chapter
  • Chester County Chapter (1931)
  • Crawford County Chapter (2016)
  • Cumberland County Chapter (2017)
  • Dauphin County Chapter
  • Delaware County Chapter
  • Fayette County Chapter (2017)
  • Franklin County Chapter
  • Lancaster County Chapter
  • Lehigh Valley Chapter consisting of Lehigh and Northampton counties (2015)
  • Luzerne County Chapter (2017)
  • Monroe County Chapter (2017)
  • Montgomery County Chapter
  • Philadelphia County Chapter (2017)
  • Pike County Chapter
  • Warren County Chapter (2017)
  • Wyoming County Chapter (2017)
  • York County Chapter (2017)

Notable Pennsylvania Young Republican alumni

  • Jim Cawley, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
  • Scott Perry, Congressman, Pennsylvania 4th Congressional District
  • Rick Santorum, former U.S. Senator of Pennsylvania

See also

  • College Republicans
  • Teen Age Republicans
  • Republicans Overseas

Further reading

  • Jon Grinspan, "'Young Men for War': The Wide Awakes and Lincoln's 1860 Presidential Campaign," Journal of American History, vol. 96, no. 2, (Sept. 2009), pp. 357–378. In JSTOR