About Us

Download and view a copy of the Chicago Young Republican's 2009 Briefing Book.  A complete collection of activities and projects from the previous year.  Please feel free to share with others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Chicago Young Republicans (CYRs) was founded in 2005 as a sub-chapter of the National Young Republican Federation, which has been the official auxiliary of the Republican Party for over 80 years.

As a sub-chapter of the National Young Republican Federation, the CYRs are proud to be a part of an organization that is the oldest Republican youth movement in the United States. We are an allied Republican Organization working with other Republican organizations at both the local and national levels. Since its founding in 2005, the CYRs have grown exponentially. Today, the organization continues to serve Republicans in the Chicagoland area.
 

 

Our vision is to be the premier Republican organization for young individuals in the City of Chicago and surrounding areas. Our immediate objective is to establish a strong, positive, and professional rallying point for young Republicans to meet and directly support efforts to grow the Republican Party in Chicago, Illinois.

 

We recognize that Republicans -- particularly young Republicans -- are a minority in the Democratic stronghold of Chicago. However, we understand there is an untapped demand for Republican Party activity in the City. We understand Republicans are varied and diverse in who they are and what they believe. This is particularly true in a large urban environment such as Chicago. As a result, we believe in a “big tent” philosophy. We focus on developing the groundwork to become competitive and focus our resources on party development and on campaigns where we believe our efforts can make the difference between victory and defeat.

 

We believe that increasing Republican activity in Chicago helps the party not only locally, but statewide as well.

Chicago is the Ellis Island of Illinois, and the vast majority of young potential Republicans who move to Illinois end up living or working in the loop or north side of Chicago. It is critical that the Illinois Republican Party have a strong and visible presence in Chicago as a welcoming committee to newly transplanted Illinoisans. Of course, the immediate benefit of the CYRs is to make direct political inroads in Chicago and Cook County political races. But the organization also helps all Illinois Republicans indirectly by forcing Democrats to spend resources in otherwise “safe” territory and by acting as a recruitment vehicle for newly transplanted Chicagoans who may eventually move out to the suburbs, collar counties and beyond.

 

We believe in the Republican values of individual freedom and responsibility, limited and ethical government, the rule of law, and free markets. Our desired reputation is one of purposeful energy, professionalism, reliability and as a wellspring of the most promising political talent in the state of Illinois.

 

The Chicago Young Republicans approach is to provide the entry point and home base for newcomers to the party in the Chicagoland area.

As a home base for Republicans, the CYRs provide events and activities that appeal to a broad range of people new to the political process, as well as to politically experienced people. By having a variety of events, we help new members feel comfortable, which enables them to make the jump from a socially active member to a politically active member.
 

Our approach to growing the Republican Party in Chicago is threefold.

First, we attract two types of individuals to our organization: frustrated self-identified Republicans who feel isolated in Chicago and therefore do not participate in local political activity, and those who may hold beliefs in line with the Republican Party but who do not currently associate themselves with a political party.  We use  communications and marketing efforts, charitable and community outreach, social networking opportunities, and political events to reach these individuals.

Once they develop a comfort level with our membership, our next step is to retain them through networking with other active members and involving individuals in more substantive volunteer opportunities within the organization.

Finally, after individuals have become active within the CYR organization at the club level, our organization gives members the opportunity to become more engaged in the Republican Party at other levels beyond the Chicago Young Republican Organization.