BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Telegraph Staff Writer
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— A 2018 Keystone Heights High School graduate was elected chairman of Florida Young Republicans during the organization’s state convention on June 23 in Sarasota.
Brandon Ludwig takes the reigns of the 400-plus-member group, whose ranks include Republicans aged 18 through 40.
Ludwig said he wants to improve the group’s relationships with other Republican organizations, establish a fundraising base and expand the Young Republican’s reach in Florida.
“One of the things that I campaigned on was building a much stronger relationship with the Republican Party of Florida,” the 23-year-old said, “establishing a fundraising presence that we’ve not previously had, as well as bringing rural counties to the table, coming from Keystone Heights.”
Ludwig said he also hopes to expand the Young Republican’s footprint in the Sunshine State during his two-year term. Florida YRs now have 13 active chapters, with only three north of Daytona Beach: Clay, Duval and Leon.
He said he also hopes to capitalize on recent GOP gains in South Florida.
Republicans flipped two Miami-Dade congressional seats from blue to red in 2020.
Gov. Ron DeSantis followed up two years later with a three-point re-election win in Palm Beach County and an 11-point blowout in Miami-Dade.
“A big focus of mine is expanding our reach in the panhandle,” Ludwig said, “as well as expanding into Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties in South Florida.”
