Texas officials have launched a new partnership aimed at putting Turning Point USA "Club America" chapters on high school campuses statewide.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and TPUSA Senior Director Josh Thifault unveiled the effort Monday at the Governor's Mansion, framing it as a statewide expansion of conservative civic engagement for teens, The Texas Tribune reported.
Abbott's office issued a press release in which the governor said, "There has been no moment in time" this century with a greater "urgency" for an organization like TPUSA, praising the group for promoting "moral clarity, constitutional principles, and our founding values."
Abbott also issued a warning to school officials who might try to block the clubs.
He said "any school" that stands in the way of a Club America program "should be reported immediately" to the Texas Education Agency, and he expects "meaningful disciplinary action" for "any stoppage" of TPUSA efforts in the state.
That posture is likely to energize supporters who say public schools have become hostile terrain for conservative students.
The initiative follows behind-the-scenes discussions about expanding TPUSA's footprint in Texas schools and comes alongside Patrick's pledge last month of $1 million from his campaign funds to help jump-start chapters across both high schools and colleges.
Patrick has pitched the push as a response to what conservatives view as ideological "indoctrination" and a lack of open debate on campuses.
Turning Point USA, founded by conservative leader Charlie Kirk, has traditionally focused on college activism but also operates high school clubs through Club America.
In mid-September, Turning Point USA announced it had received 54,400 new chapter inquiries after Kirk was assassinated at a Utah college campus earlier in the month.
Supporters say the chapters help students organize, register voters, and learn the principles of limited government and free markets.
Following Kirk's death, Abbott and Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath accused some teachers of posting social media remarks promoting violence and mocking the conservative leader.
State officials have since begun investigating hundreds of complaints submitted to the education agency about educators' alleged comments, the Tribune reported.
Texas' move resembles efforts in other red states, namely Oklahoma and Florida, that have encouraged TPUSA's expansion, often arguing schools must treat conservative clubs like any other extracurricular group.
Abbott and Patrick are signaling that Texas will not just permit conservative student organizing, but actively protect it while daring school bureaucracies to test the state's resolve.
Newsmax Wires contributed to this story.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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