Mission Statement:  ADAMS COUNTY YOUNG CONSERVATIVES, in Pennsylvania

Vision:  We see the ADAMS COUNTY YOUNG CONSERVATIVES as an always growing organization.

We foresee growth in knowledge of politics and current events, and we foresee growth in membership.

Our meetings will educate attendees on issues such as (but not limited to):

            The Republican Party is divided today. Some Republicans support Donald Trump, and some, like the GOP establishment, dislike him so much that they would not support Trump if he was the nominee. The GOP is also divided with social issues as well, such as same-sex marriage, immigration and abortion. If there was one thing I could change about the Republican Party, I would want the GOP to be united and not divided.

            There are a number of different ways the GOP is divided. As I mentioned previously, the Republicans are divided by Donald Trump, who is the current frontrunner of the party. Some Republicans, like New Jersey governor and former presidential candidate Chris Christie and former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, support the candidate. But there are many that are against Trump, including 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, and Wisconsin governor and former presidential candidate Scott Walker. Many Republicans are saying that if Donald Trump becomes the nominee, they will not support him. Some Republicans have such a hate for him that, according to Pew Research Center, they may separate from the GOP and create an anti-Trump third-party. Republicans are also divided with social issues. Liberal Republicans (and some moderates) tend to support same-sex marriage, abortion, and amnesty for illegal aliens in the United States, while more conservative Republicans tend to oppose those same issues.

            Why do I believe it is so important for the Republican Party to be united? Political parties that are united tend to have a better chance of winning in the general election. According to International Business Times, a University of Georgia study published in the journal Political Behavior found that a divided party has a significant negative impact on election outcomes. The researchers say that if the GOP is not united, the Republican nominee could lose more than 3 percent of the vote in November! This is not the first time the Republican Party was divided. In the 1912 presidential election, after former president Theodore Roosevelt failed to clinch the Republican nomination by losing to the nominee, William H. Taft, he and his supporters separated from the GOP and created their own political party called the Progressive party. This split in the Republican Party allowed Democrat Woodrow Wilson to win the White House easily. Wilson was only the second Democrat in 56 years to win the presidency.

            If I could only change one thing about the Republican Party, I would definitely want the GOP to be united and not divided. A political party that is united has a better chance of winning in the general election, what I would like to see with the GOP this election year.