BINGHAMTON, NY — This past weekend, the Association of New York State Young Republican Clubs (NYSYR) held its sixth Rising Stars Reception as part of its 2023 Winter Conference in Binghamton, NY. The annual awards dinner recognizes Young Republicans from around the state for their efforts to support the NYSYR’s mission, as well as the Republican Party and its candidates, during the previous election year. This year, the NYSYR recognized 46 Young Republicans with the award, making it the largest class ever since its inception in 2018.
Nearly 200 were in attendance at the Holiday Inn Binghamton on Saturday, March 11th, to celebrate with the honorees and hear from Assemblyman Chris Tague (R,C,I-Schoharie) and Congressman Marc Molinaro (NY-19), the dinner’s keynote speaker.
“I want to congratulate all of this year’s honorees, once again, but, more importantly, I want to thank them for their hard work and dedication to our Association and the Republican Party,” said NYSYR Chairman Peter Giunta, who himself is a 2019 recipient of the “Rising Star” award. “Year after year, this event continues to grow, highlighting the role that our state’s Young Republicans play in securing victory for the Republican Party, and it serves as a reminder to the party establishment that Young Republicans are not the future of the Republican Party — they are the Republican Party today.”
The awards dinner closed out the NYSYR’s conference weekend, which started earlier that morning and welcomed approximately 60 Young Republicans representing dozens of county and campus chapters from across the state. The annual conference has become a highly-sought opportunity for Young Republicans, party leaders, elected officials, campaign operatives, and policy experts to discuss the future of the Republican Party.
This year’s conference featured multiple breakout sessions, as well as a panel discussion on New York’s looming energy crisis. The panel was moderated by NYSYR Chair Peter Giunta and included Senator Tom O’Mara (R-Big Flats), Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R-Corning), who also serves as Minority Ranking Member on the Assembly Energy Committee, Assemblyman Doug Smith (R-Holbrook), Mirabito Energy Products Senior Vice President of Fuel Supply Justin Fisher, and Isabela Gonçalves, a Senior Analyst in the Office of Research & Program Development for the Assembly Minority Conference.
During the conference, Young Republicans were briefed by various NYSYR board members and addressed by James Marci, Chair of the New York Federation of College Republicans, Luke Palmer, Chair of the New York State Teen Republicans, and Jessi Blakely, Chair of the Young Republican Federation of Virginia and candidate for Chair of the Young Republican National Federation. Benji Federman, the newly elected Chair of the Broome County Republican Committee, and Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham, both Young Republicans, also addressed the group.
The NYSYR will gather again this summer for its biennial reorganization meeting and annual leadership conference.