ATLANTA, Ga. — A former staffer for Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) is currently believed to be the frontrunner to win the chairmanship of the Young Republican National Federation (YRNF), the oldest political youth organization in the United States and one of the nation’s largest and most active Republican grassroots advocacy groups.
Meagan Myers Hanson, a former defense policy staffer Sessions and a graduate of both the University of Alabama and the University of Alabama School of Law, is currently living in Atlanta, Georgia, and has chaired the Georgia Young Republicans since 2012.
Young Republicans around the country will gather in Chicago this summer to elect a new national chairman, and Hanson has thrown her hat in the ring.
“My vision for the Young Republican National Federation is simple,” Hanson told Yellowhammer, “we need to be the national voice of conservative young people between the ages of 18 to 40. In order to be an effective voice, we need to have a seat at the table where ideas and policies are being discussed. We need to be regularly interacting with well-established political powerhouses like the RNC, RGA, NRCC, and RAGA.”
In addition to her experience on the Hill and in YR leadership, Hanson has also been General Counsel for the American Institute of Architects and Regional Political Director for the Associated Builders and Contractors, a national trade association for the construction industry. She currently specializes in high-asset, complex domestic litigation for the high powered Atlanta firm of Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle.
Those deep political and business ties should give her a leg up in the fundraising race, which is an integral part of running a national campaign. But it’s that broad experience that she believes will enable her to effectively lead the organization forward.
“My experience in both politics and business lays the foundation for the vision I have for the Young Republican National Federation as a powerful, professional voice for young conservatives across the nation,” she said. “My time on Capitol Hill working for Senator Sessions solidified my belief that transparency, ethics, and good governance are paramount to the ‘politics’ of the system, and that’s how I intend to lead the YRNF.”
The national YR chairmanship has in the past proven to be a launching pad for successful political careers. Current House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Cal.), for instance, held the chairmanship from 1999 to 2001. The Republican Party has also been anxious to push more strong, conservative women to the forefront. Following in the footsteps of fellow Alabama native Condoleezza Rice, Hanson has been an articulate rising star in the Party in recent years. But for now, she says she’s entirely focused on what’s best for the YRs.
“Under Chairman Jason Weingartner’s leadership, we have made great strides,” she said, “but we still have far to go. This upcoming YRNF election will determine if we continue making progress or fall stagnant.”
For more information on Hanson’s campaign, visit her campaign website, yrnation.gop
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— Cliff Sims (@Cliff_Sims) December 3, 2014
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