Kyle Forti

Age

24

Location

Hillsdale College

Twitter

@KyleForti

BIO

Kyle Forti serves as the President of Peak Political Solutions, a Colorado-based campaign strategies firm he founded in June of last year. He is an alumnus of Hillsdale College, where he graduated in 2012 with degrees in Political Science and Christian Studies. Upon moving to Colorado, Forti worked as an investigative researcher and writer for Media Trackers, a nationwide conservative coalition. He is married to Hope Forti, a social media guru and content marketer for non-profit organizations. Their first son, Maximus, is now seven months old. Forti is a fan of Dostoevsky, fly fishing, and craft beer.

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Why is it important that at this particular point in time, right-of-center youth become involved publicly, whether in politics, media, their communities, or another capacity?

Obama won in 2008 by resonating with and mobilizing a large number of people under the age of 30. Many of these youth have now seen what a presidency based on dubious platitudes actually looks like and are hungry for something real. We’re burnt out on the promises of a bureaucratic utopia and instead simply want to be left alone to invest in our local communities. We want to work hard to build our own solutions.

Right-of-center Millennials have such an opportunity to capitalize on the sentiment of today and speak directly with our peers. A message rooted in liberty and the strength of the individual is an attractive alternative to “you didn’t build that” and offers a far more sustainable future than a “one size fits all” government-driven approach.

What must elected officials and others in positions of leadership do to make a right-of-center message resonate with the Millennial generation?

Show us that a conservative message is a human message. Young people today who are drawn to leftist politics are there because they believe Democrats are the only ones who know the burden of the poor, care about the challenges facing minorities, etc. A right-of-center platform should emphasize better opportunity for all, because free enterprise helps those in need far more than forced government charity. People are the one with a heart, not the government.

Where would you like to see the conservative movement in 10 years — and how can it get there?

Personally? I hope to see us smarter on the issues and more unified. How do we get there? Perhaps we focus more on a deeper education and less on hype. I believe conservatives have the best understanding of people and of government — let’s not embarrass ourselves by acting like we don’t.