(Minneapolis, MN) If you have ever attended a Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), you quickly become aware of the vast differences between various generations and factions within the Republican Party. While all factions share the core principles of lowering tax rates and adherence to the Constitution, there is a vast difference in various social and economic issues. The direction of the Republican Party is not yet set in stone, but Chairwoman of the Minnesota College Republicans sat down with Alpha News to provide some insight into the mindset of her generation and the potential future of the Party.
Aly Eichman, though young, already boasts an impressive resume. Eichman is a student at St. Cloud State University, Chairwoman of the Minnesota College Republicans, and the former Chapter Chair of Young Americans for Liberty. A self-defined “Libertarian Republican”, Eichman represents a quickly growing faction within the Republican Party – Republicans with core principles aligning with libertarianism. Eichman explains that while she believes in principles of limited government and free-markets, she is, “Team GOP at the end of the day,” going on to say that she will, “do what it takes to get Republicans elected in Minnesota.”
According to Eichman the College Republicans have large plans for field work in 2016, explaining that she believes CR’s today actually have a large impact on elections in Minnesota. Other plans for the CR’s include additional debates with College Democrats, and a Second Amendment Week.
Eichman explains that another goal of hers for the CR’s is to change the mainstream image of a Republican, and to “Combat what the Democrats are calling a ‘War on Women.’” Eichman says that while many of her fellow students don’t identify as Democrats, they do not want to identify as Republicans due to their portrayal in the media. Eichman hopes to make the term Republican more palatable by showing that most Republicans are “average Americans who want their lives to be as prosperous as possible, and who care about their families and neighbors.”
If a young Republican on a college campus is a rare sight, a young Republican female on a college campus is equivalent to a Big-Foot sighting. Eichman believes that this stems from the fore mentioned “War on Women” and the belief that Republicans are “not for women’s issues.” A quick visit to their twitter page shows an effort to combat this view with a “proud to be a female Republican” promotional video. The video includes young women stating, “It’s insulting to think all we care about as women politically are reproductive rights.”
Eichman goes on to explain that many of her fellow students also have been subjected to a multitude of bias and abuse on campuses across Minnesota, stating, “Most of our problems come from University of Minnesota (Twin Cities) professors, most of who are in non-political science subjects” but that this will “not likely be an issue they tackle this year.”
Above all, Eichman intends on “encouraging open-minded discussions” among students and youth across Minnesota during her term as Chairwoman.
Subscribe to Alpha News to see our upcoming on-camera dual-interview with student leaders from College Republicans and College Democrats as they tell us about the reasoning behind their beliefs and their expectations of legislative leaders in Minnesota.