Media Mention

‘The Republican Party is sick’: Outside RNC, ‘political orphans’ resisting Trump seek path

USA TODAY’s Melissa Brown covered Principles First event in Milwaukee: For the group meeting inside the historic Pabst Brewery, it means sticking to certain conservative principles. They gathered in support of Principles First, a center-right organization that emerged in 2019 as an alternative to the Conservative Political Action Conference. In…
July 26, 2024
Media Mention

Meanwhile, never-Trump Republicans turn up the temperature

Politico’s Brittany Gibson covered Principles First event in Milwaukee: The off-campus event hosted by Principles First claimed to be the real nucleus of the GOP, contrary to what was happening just a few blocks away. The speakers derided a party now led by Trump, the 2024 platform and growing trends…
July 26, 2024
Media Mention

Trump’s GOP detractors will meet mere miles from the Republican National Convention

The Associated Press’s Thomas Beaumont covered the Principles First event in Milwaukee: Less than 20 miles away from the RNC podium at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum, Republicans far afield of former President Trump will gather to present a different vision for their party. Under the banner “Principles First,” Republicans who have…
July 26, 2024
Media Mention

Both parties need to communicate with voters at this moment, strategist says

Sacha Pfeiffer, an occasional guest host for some of NPR’s Morning Edition, interviewed GOP strategist Heath Mayo: But that perspective doesn’t sit well with some other Republicans. Heath Mayo founded Principles First, which calls itself a grassroots movement of conservatives concerned about Republican leadership, including and in other words Donald…
July 26, 2024
Media Mention

Principles First in The Dispatch

The Dispatch’s John Hart referenced Principles First and its founder, Heath Mayo: The dissident majority shouldn’t be constrained in its ambition and scope, and it should embrace an “all of the above” approach to tactics, institution building, and reform. If you have a vision for a new party, go build…
March 21, 2024
Media Mention

The Fulcrum: Conservative values shine brightly at Principles First conference

Lynn Schmidt, syndicated columnist and editorial board member with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, covered the Principles First Summit: Listening to the variety of speakers at Principles First, I caught myself looking up at the chandelier. It had a hundred or so cylinders hanging next to each other in a large…
March 13, 2024
Media Mention

Podcast: Principles First Summit Recap

Democracy Note’s Gabriel Lerner covered the Principles First Summit on a recent podcast with Matt Germer⁠, director of the Governance Program at the ⁠R Street Institute, a center-right think tank, and Scott Warren⁠, a fellow at the ⁠SNF Agora Institute⁠ at Johns Hopkins University. Matt and Scott are…
March 11, 2024
Media Mention

Principles First in USA Today

USA Today’s Karissa Waddick covered the Principles First Summit: “There is that point where you realize, I’ve got to do the responsible thing,” Michael Steele, a former chair of the Republican National Committee who has long opposed Trump, said Saturday during an interview at a conference dubbed the Principles…
February 27, 2024
Media Mention

Principles First in The Washington Post

The Washington Post’s Kara Voght covered the Principles First Summit: Here at Principles First, in the sweeping second-floor atrium of the Conrad Hotel, was your father’s Republican Party: a herd of chinos, sports coats and the occasional Nikki Haley T-shirt. First held in 2020, the event was a refuge for…
February 27, 2024