Crenshaw, Greene headline youth summits
Two groups of Texas Republicans, split between the more mainstream and right-wing factions of the party, will host a dueling set of youth summits in the Houston area this fall.
The first, branded the “Texas Youth Summit,” will come to The Woodlands on Sept. 16-17 and feature a slate of conservative firebrands, such as U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Matt Gaetz of Florida.
The second, to be hosted Oct. 8 and 9 by U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Houston, offers a lineup that includes Gov. Greg Abbott, former Wall Street tycoon Jordan Belfort and Seth Dillon, the CEO of the conservative satire site Babylon Bee.
The events highlight an ongoing battle within the Republican Party, which has already shifted significantly to the right under former President Donald Trump. While the two groups align on most major policy issues, the Greene contingent is known for spreading conspiracy theories and focusing on topics that animate the most devout Trump supporters, such as controversial social issues and false claims of widespread election fraud.
The September event was organized by Christian Collins, a right-wing political operative who has been holding an annual youth summit since 2019.
“Our intent is to bring in the most conservative speakers throughout the country, as well as some of the faith-based folks
that can (reach) young people and equip them with the conservative values, Judeo-Christian values, that this country was founded on,” Collins said in an interview.
Collins said he views his youth summit as more “America First” than the one hosted by Crenshaw, whose “philosophy is more like that of a George Bush or a John McCain,” he said.
Still, Collins offered kudos to Crenshaw for landing speakers like Dillon and conservative radio host Dennis Prager.
“He’s got some great speakers at his event that I would love to have at mine, eventually,” Collins said.
Collins, who made an unsuccessful bid for a Houston-area congressional seat earlier this year at the age of 33, previously hosted Crenshaw as a speaker at his first youth summit. But during his run for Congress, Collins clashed with Crenshaw, who supported his main rival, former Navy SEAL Morgan Luttrell.
Luttrell went on to win the 11candidate primary outright.
Crenshaw’s event, meanwhile, is the third of its kind. The summit drew a crowd of more than 2,000 last summer, as young conservatives across the country gathered in Houston to hear from Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro and former Fox News and NBC anchor Megyn Kelly.
“This is an amazing opportunity for the teens and young adults you know to gain a better understanding of what it means to be a conservative and give them a reason to stay excited and engaged in the movement,” the event page states. “Two days that could change their lives.”
A representative for Crenshaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Collins’ summit — also attended by about 2,000 people last year, he estimated — will take place at Grace Woodlands church, like his previous events. The site is part of Crenshaw’s district, but it was only moved there when lawmakers redrew Texas’ political maps last year.
Others appearing at Collins’ summit include state Attorney General Ken Paxton, Houstonarea U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, Colorado U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, conservative commentator Candace Owens and former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany.
Collins also noted that admission to his summit is free for students between the ages of 12 and 26, while Crenshaw is charging $15 for student tickets. Students attending Collins’ summit must submit “an adult reference to confirm their interest in conservative politics when they sign up,” according to the event website.
The back-to-back events may serve as a proxy war for Crenshaw and Greene, who have an ongoing social media feud. The Georgia congresswoman, who endorsed Collins and campaigned with him during his congressional run, has accused Crenshaw of “hurting our brand” by calling himself a conservative.
Crenshaw, in turn, has called Greene an “idiot” who resorts to “petty childish attacks.” And he has denounced the entire House Freedom Caucus — which includes Greene and Gaetz — as “performance artists” and “grifters.”
The national fights trickled down to the ballot during this year’s primaries, as establishment Republicans faced fierce competition from right-wing activists. Abbott, who hadn’t faced a serious primary opponent in his entire statewide career, drew challenges this spring from former Texas GOP Chairman Allen West and former state Sen. Don Huffines, both of whom fall to his political right.
Abbott still won that race resoundingly, pulling about 66 percent of the vote in a field of eight candidates.