A new conservative organization is launching a $12 million effort to recruit younger America First candidates, arguing that Republicans must embrace a more aggressive populist agenda after their midterm losses.

American Ascent, a 501(c)(4) organization launching Monday, will be led by Ryan Neuhaus, a former Heritage Foundation chief of staff. It plans to identify and train prospective candidates for House, Senate and governor’s races in 2028, including seats held by aging lawmakers.

“The American people told us pretty clearly that they want to see younger, more energetic politicians leading in America,” Neuhaus said. Asked whether recruits would challenge Republican incumbents, he said that decision would be up to the candidates.

The group’s partners include Turning Point Action, the Claremont Institute and the Oversight Project. American Leadership PAC, led by longtime Vice President JD Vance adviser Andy Surabian, will work alongside it. A person familiar with the PAC’s plans said it would focus on open seats in safely Republican districts.

Claremont board chair and Republican megadonor Thomas Klingenstein is providing the initial funding. He said the organization would develop leaders who view compromise with political opponents as “a sucker’s game.”

Neuhaus said American Ascent is not a Vance political project, although its agenda parallels the vice president’s brand of new-right conservatism. He cited Vance, Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas, Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri and Rep.-elect Jace Yarbrough of Texas as figures who inspire the party’s base.

The initiative was planned before Republicans’ midterm defeats, but organizers say the results reinforce their case for a tougher approach to immigration, populist economics and an America First foreign policy. Communications director Bradley Devlin argued that Republicans lost on the economy, not immigration.

The party nevertheless faces challenges with young and Latino voters. According to New York Times data, voters ages 18 to 29 backed Democrats 70 percent to 28 percent, a 33-point shift from 2024. A September POLITICO poll also found that nearly one-third of non-MAGA Republicans considered President Donald Trump’s deportation push too aggressive.

American Ascent vice president Jackson Hines said the election represented a rejection of the party’s existing leadership: “Old ideas are for old people.”