A new conservative organization called American Ascent launched Monday with plans to recruit and train younger America First candidates for the 2028 elections, following Republican losses in the midterm elections that cost the party control of Congress.

The nonprofit is led by Ryan Neuhaus, a former chief of staff at the Heritage Foundation and former aide to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). The organization aims to build a bench of younger conservatives who could run for seats in the House, Senate, and governorships. Its website describes its mission as "cultivating a new generation of statesmen."

American Ascent will work alongside the American Leadership PAC, led by Andy Surabian, an adviser to Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr. Despite those connections, Neuhaus said the organization is not a "Vance political project." The PAC is expected to concentrate on open seats in safely Republican districts, while American Ascent works to identify and prepare potential candidates.

"For too long, the Republican Party has relied on rerunning candidates over and over again," Neuhaus told Politico. He argued that voters want younger, more energetic politicians representing them. Neuhaus pointed to Vance, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) and Texas Rep.-elect Jace Yarbrough as Republicans who are inspirational to the party's base.

Recruits will have the opportunity to participate in a leadership training program called the Fellowship for American Ascent. The organization has also compiled data identifying potential opportunities in the 2028 elections, considering factors such as incumbent lawmakers' ages, retirement plans and fundraising histories. Neuhaus declined to say whether the group would support primary challenges against sitting Republican lawmakers, saying that decision would be left to individual candidates.

Republican megadonor Thomas Klingenstein, chairman of the Claremont Institute's board, is providing $12 million in initial funding for the effort. Klingenstein said the country needs leaders who recognize the political and ideological challenges facing America. The group is also working with conservative organizations including Turning Point Action, the Claremont Institute and the Oversight Project.

American Ascent Vice President Jackson Hines, a nephew of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., argued that last week's election results demonstrated dissatisfaction with the Republican Party's older leadership. "We watched a complete rebuke of the type of Republicans that were in Congress. Old ideas are for old people," Hines said.

The organization's website also criticizes the age of congressional leadership, pointing to a July CNN/SSRS poll in which 58% of Americans described the number of elderly lawmakers as a major problem. With the incoming Congress expected to have an average age of nearly 58, American Ascent is positioning its recruitment effort as an attempt to bring younger conservatives into elected office ahead of the next major election cycle.