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Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk points to Vice President JD Vance as the conservative candidate to beat among young voters in the 2028 presidential election, should he run.
During an interview at last weekend's Turning Point Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida, Kirk said he believes Vance will be the candidate that young Americans look up to as the future leader of the conservative movement once President Donald Trump leaves office.
"I think JD Vance fits that mold really well," the political activist said when asked by Fox News Digital who the guiding light for young conservative voters in 2028 will be.
I'M A YOUNG DEMOCRAT AND I'VE GOT TO ADMIT MY PARTY IS LOSING 2025 WHILE LOOKING AT 2028
TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk pointed to Vice President JD Vance as the top contender to carry the conservative youth vote in 2028. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Kirk, whose mission with TPUSA is to educate and engage young voters and students on conservative principles, named several qualities which allow the vice president to connect with younger people.
"He can operate seamlessly in a podcast environment," he said, remarking that Vance has a "wonderful family."
Kirk also mentioned the 40-year-old Vance, the third-youngest VP in the nation's history, relates to younger Americans because of his age, while acknowledging Vance hasn't committed to a presidential bid.
"He's the youngest vice president in quite some time, one of the youngest in American history," he said.
Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks during a campaign rally, Oct. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Beyond Vance, Kirk stressed that any future leader of the conservative movement needs to address the top concerns of young people in America today, namely the high cost of living.
"But outside of the candidate, we need to actually be able to deliver and go to the American people and go to the younger voters and say, ‘Here's how your life was, and now it's easier for you to own a home. You don't have to rent for the rest of your life. It's easier to get married, easier to have children.’"
Elsewhere in the interview, Kirk warned Republicans that the GOP may lose the young voters that helped Trump win the White House in 2024 if they don’t deliver on cost-of-living issues.
"The biggest threat to the Republican Party in 2028 is if we do not deliver on our promises of [home]ownership for the next generation," Kirk told Fox News Digital. "The youth vote didn't just vote for Donald Trump. Young voters put Donald Trump in the White House."
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The TPUSA founder also stressed that the future conservative leader would have to deliver on the major issues conservatives of all ages are focused on.
"We have to deliver on immigration, on the deportations. We have to deliver, I think, on managing the size and scope of the federal government from cost savings and from cutting spending," he said.
Kirk mentioned that he "would love" for Vance to be the man that takes up the conservative mantle, referring to himself as a "big JD guy." However, he noted that it’s more important that, whoever the candidate is, they are solid on core conservative issues.
"I say, ‘Guys, if we don't deliver, it doesn't matter who you run, because then we're going to have big problems,'" he said.
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Matt Leach is a Fox Digital Originals senior producer based in Tampa, FL.
