A fresh-faced group of conservatives is shaking up the Lone Star State's political scene as the new San Antonio Young Republicans club gears up for the Texas Republican Convention this May. According to a report by San Antonio Report, the club, helmed by marketing pro Lillian Miess, is actively recruiting young conservatives to participate in the party platform process at the Henry B. González Convention Center come May 23-25. "We want our young Republicans to go through the process to become voting delegates so they can vote on our platform priorities because Republicans are a lot of older people," Miess said, emphasizing the urgency to usher in new blood.

The club's debut event at the Angry Elephant packed in about 60 attendees, a mix of young and not-so-young Republicans, including key speaker and outgoing Texas GOP Chairman, Matt Rinaldi. Rinaldi's legacy: been weeding out party dissenters, established an interesting subtext for the club's launch. "You have Republicans in name only, and you have Republicans that are actually charting the course for Texas to be the way it is," added Trey Box, vice president of the San Antonio Young Republicans, vowing allegiance to the party's core conservative values.

With the tectonic plates of local politics shifting in Bexar County, long-standing moderate Republicans are facing replacement by more conservative successors. Redistricting has tilted the county's landscape even further toward the Republican party, offering the San Antonio Young Republicans an opportunity to push their agenda at a local level. The group aims to attract military families and gun enthusiasts into its fold, to strengthen its position within the grassroots movement.

However, not all welcome this lean toward conservatism with open arms. The Young Republicans of Bexar County, a club with longevity since the 1970s worries about alienating newcomers. "We're very welcoming," affirmed Vice President Katherine Herrera, "We want to kind of change the way people think of Republicans by making it open to people who want to learn about the party," as reported by the San Antonio Report. The prospect of a divided house looms, however, with county GOP Chair Jeff McManus, who's sided with the San Antonio Young Republicans by showcasing them over the older group on the county party’s website.

Leadership changes in the Republican Party of Texas may open doors to reconciliation between divergent groups. "If Matt Rinaldi is gone, and the Republican Party of Texas looks like it's moving in a positive direction, then we will want to be reassociated with RPT," the Texas Young Republican Federation President Derrick Wilson told the San Antonio Report. With Rinaldi not seeking reelection and the county preparing for incoming GOP leader Kris Coons, the harmonious blending within the Republican Party could very well materialize on the horizon.