On Saturday, February 8, a coalition of conservative clubs across Harvard University, including Harvard Business School (HBS), Harvard Law School (HLS), Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), the Harvard Republican Club, and The Harvard Salient, hosted the second annual Conservative and Republican Student Conference. This all-day event provided a venue for Harvard students and affiliates to hear from conservative leaders, policy makers, and academics. Students moderated panel discussions on topics like immigration, foreign policy, and economic policy. Each speaker, including the new Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson and former White House Chief Strategist Steven K. Bannon, mingled with students during breaks.
Throughout the day, differing opinions on solutions to pressing issues facing America were offered and debated openly. One example is Oren Cass, founder of think tank American Compass and author of The Once and Future Worker, who favored the ability of workers to support their families and communities as the determinant of long-term prosperity instead of the traditional financial metric, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.
I am thankful to each participant for maintaining a respectful atmosphere and demonstrating superb statesmanship — that is, a high level of integrity, judgment, and concern for future generations. To that end, I thought I would help explain why I believe this event was not just well attended — topping 270 attendees — but also necessary. To do so, I will take off my proverbial hat as co-chair of the conference and co-president of the HBS Conservative Club and speak to you simply as Colin. A Christian. Husband. Father to two boys. Navy Veteran. HBS student. Proud member of Section H.
There is a clear and growing demand for opportunities to explore, debate, and defend conservative policy solutions at Harvard. Consider the following: the HBS Conservative Club more than doubled in size this year to over 80 students and partners. Conference attendance increased by 30% compared to last year. The Harbus and prominent faculty members hosted a widely attended student debate. Professor Bob White, former chairman of the Romney Campaign and lead faculty for the oversubscribed elective course, Road to the White House, collaborated with students from both political clubs to host highly successful election night event. This phenomenon extends beyond the business school; the Harvard Republican Club, an undergraduate organization, grew their email interest list in the last year from 125 to over 800, more than 10% of the student body, and recently hosted many prominent public figures, including now Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts.
Why do I think this is happening? It is true that election years amplify political engagement, which could partly explain the heightened interest in conservative perspectives. But I believe there is something deeper at play, and understanding it starts with an internal assessment and a reality check. After observing Democratic-led governance in the United States for 12 of the last 16 years, which is essentially the entirety of most students’ adult lives, we have been faced with three important questions. Do we like what we see? Can we do better? And if so, how?
The 2024 election results pointed to a desire for change among the American public. This is not a baseless claim. Donald Trump won the presidency decisively with a greater than two million popular vote advantage, swept the swing states, and tallied more than three million more votes compared to his 2020 campaign. Simultaneously, support for Kamala Harris fell by over six million votes shorter than Joe Biden in 2020. In an article published a month after the election, CNN analysts dove deeper into the voter trends underpinning these results, highlighting that younger voters shifted towards Trump, as he gained 13% more votes from people aged 18 to 29.
Maybe it was the widely criticized handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal. Maybe it was the economy, explained by a recent Politico article by Eugene Ludwig arguing that, if we rationally adjust unemployment figures to include those who cannot find anything but part-time work or who make a poverty wage (roughly $25,000), the true unemployment rate is a staggering 23.7%. Let me ask my classmates: do you know anyone struggling to find work? And to be clear, I am talking beyond HBS or other MBA students. I mean a family member, a friend from high school or college, someone who falls into the 59% of Americans who do not have enough savings to cover an unexpected $1,000 emergency expense. You probably do. It is not hard to recognize that, for many Americans, the status quo is not working. And maybe it is not the economy or inflation — dissatisfaction could be caused by numerous other factors I have not mentioned — but the consensus is clear.
So, can we do better? And how? I think this begins with a belief that we can do better. And after seeing the results of the election, there is still ample faith among the American people that changing who is in charge is a good first step. The next is improving trust and accountability between citizens and the government. Recently, during remarks from the Oval Office, Trump and Elon Musk rightfully asserted that, if the citizenry is to elect its representatives, but the elected representatives do not have a mechanism to rein in, control, or operate the government, democracy itself is in question, and in its place, a bureaucracy festers. I will not argue that the jury is out on the long-term effectiveness of the Department of Government Efficiency, but should we not at least consider alternative methods to deliver greater accountability to the people from their government as long as it is within the rule of law? And if the president cannot direct and hold accountable the executive branch, then who can?
These are the types of issues we discuss at our club events. Outside of the conference, we have hosted Massachusetts State Representative Hannah Kane, former Nikki Haley campaign manager Betsy Ankney, Troubled author Robert K. Henderson, Massachusetts State Committeeman Daniel Hickey, and economist Dr. Samuel Gregg. Later this spring, we are hosting Massachusetts State Senator Ryan Fattman and Wall Street Journal editorial board member Jason Riley and plan to continue tackling some of the most important issues facing America today, including economic mobility, the role of government, and cultural shifts shaping our society.
I believe the best solutions emerge when we are comfortable brainstorming and challenging assumptions. In my experience, the case method at HBS fosters open discussion, but if you want to go even deeper, I hope you join us at our next event.
Colin Price (MBA’ 25) is originally from New Jersey. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in Economics. Prior to HBS, he served 11 years in the U.S. Navy.
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