How an 18-year-old college student won a leadership position in Georgia GOP

“I was tired of going through a middleman in order to get young people the help they needed and to help get young people engaged in the Republican Party,” said Stembridge. “I figured, you know what, instead of going through a middleman, how about I just step up and do it myself?”

Credit: Jenni Girtman

Credit: Jenni Girtman

The Greene County native announced his candidacy in March and spent the final portion of his freshman year commuting from his dorm to events across the state campaigning to expand the GOP’s outreach and inclusion of younger voices.

His youth-focused campaign resonated, and he defeated activist Kylie Jane Kremer with 77% of the vote.

Stembridge said his election cuts across stereotypes about Republicans that he is trying to change.

“That party of rich white men just overwhelmingly elected the 18-year-old Black guy named Ja’Quon,” he said. “You’ve never seen that happen in the Republican Party. So I think that’s very significant. It shows that our party is moving in a new direction.”

Stembridge’s interest in politics began five years ago in his bedroom. Born into what he calls a household of “generational Democrats,” he developed his own political outlook during the COVID-19 pandemic where he “started doing my own research.”

“I realized that everything I learned about the Republican Party was far from the truth. And it was all a misconception that my family learned from generation to generation,” he said. “It wasn’t just the party of rich white men that only cared about themselves, but it was truly the party of hardworking men and women that care about common sense issues.”

Stembridge got to work on realizing his newfound ambitions. One of his first calls after some volunteering efforts was to James Cooper, chairman of the Georgia Republican Party 10th Congressional District, which includes Greene County.

“He wanted to start a young Republican organization in the 10th District and speak at an upcoming convention,” said Cooper. “And of course, I was a little bit skeptical because I got this very young man reaching out to me.”

Cooper, 49, said he eventually bought into Stembridge’s eagerness and gave him the opportunity to speak.

“People just fell in love with him,” he said. “I tell him all the time, ‘You got the God-given talent, rely on it and use it. Trust your instinct.’ And I’ve never met anybody that has the ‘it’ like he does.”

Stembridge founded a Teen Republicans chapter in the 10th District in 2023 and eventually became chairman of the statewide organization.

Now, after a campaign he described as a “leap of faith,” he’ll serve a two-year term on the Georgia GOP board.

Since being elected, Stembridge said that he’s seen an outpouring of support, including from his mother.

“She’s happy that I found something that I’m passionate about, even if she doesn’t fully agree with the policies and my ideology and the way I see the world,” he said.

Erica Davis supported Stembridge along the campaign trail and said she’s proud of her son’s early success. She’s most impressed by Stembridge’s ability to resonate with older audiences.

“He has a great feel for being a politician right now,” she said. “And maybe one day, he might be our president, who knows?”

Stembridge spoke at a Henry County Republican Party meeting Tuesday, where lines of attendees formed to congratulate the newly elected assistant secretary. Some asked for selfies. Others tapped his shoulder to thank him.

As the lines dissipated, Stembridge made an effort to shake hands with every attendee he hadn’t met.

Credit: Jenni Girtman

Credit: Jenni Girtman

Stembridge said he has had a productive meeting with party chairman Josh McKoon, who encouraged him to continue finding ways to engage younger generations. But Stembridge was most excited to hear from Gov. Brian Kemp, who congratulated him in a text message.

“It felt amazing knowing the governor actually knows my name and my face,” he said. “It was great getting messages from everybody, but it couldn’t get no better than the governor of Georgia.”

Stembridge heads back to school with plans to balance classes and college football games with his new duties as assistant secretary, where he said he will work to find more fresh faces to join the Republican Party.

“We will not have a party if we don’t begin opening the door to the next generation to hear their concerns, their voices and allow them to have a seat at the table,” he said.