College Republican activist Kai Schwemmer said he plans to run for the vacant Utah GOP treasurer position in May as part of his goal to enter elected office and eventually represent the state in Congress.
The low-profile race to maintain the party’s financial records will be the first electoral test for Schwemmer, who has come to represent a generational divide among conservatives over identity, institutions and Israel.
It will also be an early indicator of how the party will react to a Gen Z worldview shaped by social media and populist overtones as leaders continue to navigate shifts accelerated by President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement.
An election to replace former treasurer Chris Null, who stepped down to run for Salt Lake County Council, will take place at a meeting of the GOP’s State Central Committee. So far, Schwemmer is the only candidate.
An ‘America First’ worldview
The 23-year-old influencer became a flashpoint for conservative debates over Gen Z political attitudes last month when he was appointed to serve as the political director of College Republicans of America.
Gen Z is the generation born between 1997 and 2012.
Backlash focused on Schwemmer’s past affiliation with Nick Fuentes, his refusal to disavow the white nationalist commentator and his continued defense of aspects of Fuentes’ aggressive “America First” ideology.
In interviews with the Deseret News, Schwemmer did not identify any policy disagreements with Fuentes. He highlighted common ground on social issues, like banning pornography, and overlap on the issue of Israel.
Schwemmer said dual citizens should not run for higher office, and he believes it is not discriminatory to ascribe dual loyalty to some American Jews because he believes Judaism has been expanded to include the political project of Zionism.
Schwemmer said he also believes legal immigration should be restricted to counter demographic change, the economy should be guided toward nationalist objectives and white Christian men should do more to stand up for themselves
Debate erupted among conservatives over whether there was any room to tolerate Fuentes’ views on the American political right after popular podcaster Tucker Carlson hosted Fuentes on his show for a friendly interview in October.
Utah GOP chair Rob Axson described his interactions with Schwemmer, who is an intern with the state party, as positive.
Axson also said what Fuentes has to say is “completely uninteresting, unhelpful and often disgraceful.”
“I have zero desire to see his worldview exist within the Republican Party,” he said of Fuentes. “Frankly, he is antagonistic to the Republican Party, so he’s not even one of us. So, he can go and preach his hate.”
Axson said Schwemmer has had his own political evolution, prompted by his church service.
Since returning from a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2025, Schwemmer has attempted to distance himself from Fuentes, saying he does not identify as a “groyper,” the name for Fuentes followers.
From influencer to insider
Schwemmer has succeeded in quickly becoming a familiar face in Beehive State politics.
He has received praise from lawmakers for efforts to reverse Utah’s redistricting law. He joined Rep. Burgess Owens at Trump’s State of the Union address. And he has started issuing endorsements to congressional candidates.
If he is elected treasurer, Schwemmer told the Deseret News that it will give him an opportunity to strengthen the party, to learn more about state politics and to build relationships with Republican leaders in Utah.
“What I think I’m really interested in is showing that I’m not just some snot-nosed kid who does social media, but that I’m interested in helping the party and serving them,” Schwemmer said. “And if they think that I do a good job, then they can add that to their perception of me.”
Participating in politics, not as a commentator, but as a candidate has been Schwemmer’s dream. In 2021, he told the Highland Rambler he hoped to run for office at 25 and, ultimately, to become president of the United States.
As a student at Highland High School, Schwemmer was heavily involved in the debate club, serving as team captain and placing third in a statewide competition. His skill at debate has also earned him attention on internet forums.
Last year, Schwemmer appeared on an episode of popular debate program Jubilee featuring 20 “far-right conservatives,” and debated radio personality Steve Deace on Israel for a panel moderated by Daily Wire host Michael Knowles
While he has accumulated around 70,000 followers across platforms like TikTok, Instagram and X, Schwemmer, who is studying political science at Brigham Young University, said he is interested in public policy.
His preferred career path would be full-time “public service,” he told the Deseret News. He hopes to serve in the state Legislature within the next decade, and to run for the U.S. House of Representatives after that, he said.
“Politics nowadays is a really dirty word, where the worst thing you can be is a politician. I don’t think that should be the case,” Schwemmer said. “I want to make sure that that word is no longer pejorative, but describes people who are effective legislators. And I want to be one of those.”
How will the GOP respond to Gen Z?
Despite the online uproar over Schwemmer, top Utah Republican Party officials have welcomed his involvement.
Utah Republican National Committeeman Brad Bonham called Schwemmer “one of the most engaged College Republicans” in the state, who helped get a petition to repeal Proposition 4 across the finish line in February.
Bonham, who does not endorse candidates for party positions, said Schwemmer has demonstrated a talent “to market himself in a big way,” which Bonham said is an important ability for any prospective politician.
“Kai understands that dynamic and what is involved with actually winning races,” Bonham said. “Kai, with his platform, and it’s growing quickly, should be a very strong candidate for elected office when that time comes.”
Voters should be willing to give “lots of grace” to candidates who began participating in politics at a young age so that over time they can clarify their views and change their opinions, Bonham told the Deseret News.
Schwemmer’s skeptical view of U.S.-Israel relations reflects a broader “America First attitude” sparked by Trump’s focus on “fixing the problems at home before we try to fix everyone else’s problems,” Bonham said.
Recent surveys find young Americans are less interested in foreign alliances and less trustful of domestic government. A poll released last week found a majority of Gen Z voters agreed with an anti-Israel statement from Fuentes.
Axson, who has devoted three years in office to growing College Republicans, told the Deseret News he has spent time pushing back on some of their views because he finds that his stance on Israel “is more nuanced.”
The Republican Party must create space for these “difficult conversations” to take place with young people, he said.
“That’s what will allow for mentorship and the evolution of ideas,” Axson told the Deseret News. “It also is the space that will allow us to firmly articulate a disdain for any radicalized voices.”
Axson praised Schwemmer for contributing to the party with his “jovial” personality and work ethic. Regardless of the outcome, Axson said Schwemmer will be a “valuable candidate” in the GOP treasurer race.
But Axson said more conversations are needed to help those born in the internet era to be grounded in principles of “faith, family and freedom” so the GOP can be the party where “strong Christian values” can exist with other groups.
“We can have strong views on immigration without being hateful. We can have strong views on international policies dealing with the Middle East without leaning into any type of stereotypical antisemitism or bigotry,” Axson said.
“The freedom of the Republican Party is there in a powerful way for anybody that wants to see the Utah and American experience become something even better.”