College Republican National Committee (CRNC) is an organization consisting of college and university students across the United States who support the Republican Party. Originally founded at the University of Michigan in 1892 as the American Republican College League, ^[1] CRNC has a presence on nearly 2,000 college campuses in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. CRNC claims a membership of more than 250,000. ^[2]

CRNC conducts get-out-the-vote (GOTV), voter-registration, and other political activities in support of Republican Party candidates seeking political office. ^[3]

As of November 2022, Courtney Hope Britt is the chairman of the CRNC. ^[4]

History and Leadership

College Republican National Committee (CRNC) was originally founded in 1892 as the American Republican College League at the University of Michigan. In 1924, the organization was operating under the Republican National Committee (RNC) as the Associated University Republican Clubs. College Republicans were merged into the Young Republican National Federation in 1935, before officially becoming the College Republican National Committee in 1965. ^[5] At the 1972 Republican National Convention, the CRNC was officially made the third official auxiliary to the RNC. ^[6]

In 2002, CRNC filed as an independent §527 political action committee with the Internal Revenue Service. ^{[7] [8]}

Courtney Hope Britt is the chairman of the CRNC as of November 2022. She has worked for the Republican Party of Virginia and the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus. ^[9]

Activities

College Republican National Committee is an organization consisting of college and university students across the United States who support the Republican Party. CRNC engages in get-out-the-vote, voter-registration, and other political activities in support of Republican candidates for office at the state, ^[10] local, and national level. ^[11]

As of 2022, CRNC is comprised of 52 federations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. CRNC claims that its chapters ^[12] contain more than 250,000 members and have a presence on nearly 2,000 college and university campuses across the United States. ^[13]

In 2020, CRNC announced the Volunteer Strike Force with the Republican National Committee (RNC) to organize grassroots campaign volunteers and conduct get-out-the-vote activities in support of Republican candidates. The strike force supported the candidacy of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). ^[14]

President Ronald Reagan called the CRNC a “vital force in conservative politics.” ^[15] Former CRNC chairmen include George W. Bush administration senior advisor Karl Rove. ^[16] Former CRNC executive directors include the late political operative Lee Atwater, founder of Americans for Tax Reform Grover Norquist, and  former executive director of the Christian Coalition of America Ralph Reed. ^{[17] [18]}

CRNC Action is an affiliate of the College Republican National Committee. ^[19]

Controversy

In 2021, CRNC conducted controversial leadership elections in which it was alleged that the outgoing CRNC chair, Chandler Thornton, attempted to manipulate the election in favor of his successor, Courtney Hope Britt. A total of 22 state chapters were not allocated any votes to participate in this election, drawing criticism from Republican leaders including then-House Republican Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY). ^{[20] [21]}

Several CRNC chapters disassociated from the national CRNC organization following the election. ^{[22] [23]} In a 2022 e-mail from Britt to state chapters, she indicated that only 20 of 52 state federations would be eligible to participate in elections for regional vice chair. ^[24]

Funding

College Republican National Committee receives funding from individual donations ^[25] and merchandise sales. ^[26]

According to OpenSecrets, CRNC raised $4,825,134 and spent $3,088,397 in the 2022 election cycle. In the 2020 election cycle, CRNC raised $3,232,659 and spent $1,659,000. ^[27]