Harvard University’s Republican Club has had a sharp spike in signups, something that the group’s president credits to the members being proud of their beliefs and hosting large events.
Harvard Republican Club President Michael Oved said the “historic number” of signups includes over 100 freshmen and 30 other students who joined at the start of the semester, quadrupling the number of signups last year for the club that previously had just 40 to 50 active members.
“Harvard Republicans are thriving, something that couldn’t happen four years ago,” Oved told The Daily Wire. “We no longer hide our Republican views, we embrace them. We wear it on our sleeves, proudly and people see that, and they become encouraged to do the same.”
The increase in the club’s membership comes as the Ivy League school is embroiled in controversy due to the administration’s and left-wing student groups’ reaction to Hamas’s October 7 brutal attack on Israeli civilians.
“My vision for the Club when I got elected was to encourage students’ involvement via high profile events, and it’s been a huge success,” Oved said. “Beyond that, we’ve made an active effort to recruit new students into the club.”
Oved said his strategy includes hosting high-profile speakers to draw crowds and motivate his current members. Last year the group brought businessman Peter Thiel, Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, former Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Reps. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) and Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), and Moms for Liberty Founder Tiffany Justice.
Thiel spoke during the first annual “Conservative and Republican Student Conference” which was hosted by a new joint organization of conservative clubs from across the university — including Harvard Business School, Harvard Law School, and the Harvard Kennedy School — in partnership with The Harvard Salient and College Republicans.
This semester, the group has events planned with Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts, former U.S. Ambassador to Austria Trevor Traina, former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, and others.
Oved said they purposely choose speakers with a wide variety of political opinions that may differ from club members. Each speaker “brings something new to the conversation” and helps them “understand the world and politics.”
The group’s Tuesday night presidential debate watch party was also a huge success, with a “historic number and unprecedented in the history of the club.” With around 200 students flowing in and out of the crowded room throughout the night, Oved noted that many had to sit on the stairs and floor to find space.
“Four and eight years ago, it would not have been possible to gather 200 Republicans in one room at Harvard,” Oved said. “The Republican Party was dead after the 2016 elections.”
The group now has 950 students on their email list, up from 125 from last year, according to Oved, who is involved in a number of other conservative groups on campus.
“Under my leadership, it has become cool once again to be a Republican,” Oved said. “And my hope is that this is only the beginning.”
According to The Salient, Harvard’s conservative student publication, only 7.4 percent of students identify as conservative, while 72.4 percent lean liberal. The Salient itself has been gaining momentum with over 30 new writers since its 2021 relaunch.
The Harvard Republican Club’s board endorsed former president Donald Trump on July 1 — after his debate with President Joe Biden — in a lengthy statement that praised Trump’s record on the economy, immigration, the Second Amendment, energy, foreign policy, crime, and judiciary.
“We look forward to seeing him back in the White House, where he can Make America Great Again,” the group wrote.
In 2016, the club’s members declined to support Trump, but by 2020, the club officially endorsed him, according to The Harvard Crimson.
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