New York Young Republican group disbanded after racist group messages

October 17, 2025

The New York Republican State Committee has suspended its Young Republicans group after leaked chat messages revealed racist and antisemitic content among members. Politico published messages showing participants using racial slurs and making jokes about gas chambers, with several New York State Young Republicans club members implicated in the offensive exchanges. The group's former chair Peter Giunta and recent chair Bobby Walker were among those identified in the leaked messages, which resulted in multiple firings including Giunta losing his job as a state assemblyman's chief of staff.

Who is affected

New York State Young Republicans club (with thousands of members ages 18-40)
Peter Giunta (former chair who lost his job as chief of staff to a NY state assemblyman)
Bobby Walker (recently made chair of the NY State Young Republicans)
Other participants in the group chat who were fired
Kansas Young Republicans Organization (also disbanded)
The broader New York Republican State Committee

What action is being taken

The New York Republican State Committee has voted to suspend its young Republicans group
The Kansas Young Republicans Organization is being disbanded
Republican leaders including Representative Elise Stefanik have spoken out against the messages
A state Republican official indicated the disbanding would allow for restructuring with new leadership

Why it matters

The messages contained racist and antisemitic content including racial slurs and jokes about gas chambers
Ed Cox stated that "vile language of the sort made in the group chat has no place in our party or its subsidiary organizations"
The situation reveals issues within young Republican organizations across multiple states
The group was already experiencing management and budget problems before the scandal

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC