An organization created to organize liberal high school and college students against Turning Point USA is steadily gaining ground on U.S. campuses.
And the task is an urgent one, said William He, the 19-year-old CEO of Dream for America, an organization he founded in 2023 as the Left’s alternative to MAGA’s influence among younger generations of Americans.
William He
“Students and young people across America are fed up with the extremist ideologies that are tearing the fabric of our country apart, and we are waking up,” said He, a freshman at the University of Texas. “And unless we reach their hearts today, I think all these young people will break our hearts tomorrow.”
The organization, which He started at age 16, already has 40 active chapters across the country with interest from students in 900 additional colleges and high schools.
Dream for America has raised about $644,000 to date, enrolled 1,200 volunteers — most from red or swing states — attracted 680,000 online followers and generated at least 1 billion social media views.
Progress has come from using a youth-centered marketing strategy, voter registration drives, campus events and by recruiting skilled organizers.
“We have done all this with an all-volunteer team. It’s all college kids putting in five, 10, 15 hours a week,” He said. “But at first, it was just me before I pulled together a couple of friends who were into politics, and then some other people who had a skill set that was probably attuned to something like this. It’s definitely not easy building something from scratch.”
Now, the structure is coming together and revolves around the “3 C’s of Dream for America,” namely chapters, content and conferences, He explained. “We’re finally making headway, and we have more chapters on the way. But we still don’t have all the resources we need, so the other part we are working on is, how do we raise more money?”
Dream for America has assembled an advisory team that includes Democratic party strategists, political action committee leaders, media and tech entrepreneurs, progressive nonprofit officers and influencers such as Planned Parenthood CEO Gloria Feldt, former Austin Mayor Steve Adler and former Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh.
The group will host its first in-person national conference this summer.
The group will host its first in-person national conference this summer, which follows its first-ever event virtual gathering last year, DemocracyFest 2025.
Speakers then included former Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, and U.S. Rep. and senatorial candidate James Talarico of Texas.
The lineup for this summer’s in-person event has not yet been announced. However, He said, “Our flagship conference this August in Austin will rival what Turning Point does with AmericaFest.”
TPUSA launched its annual gathering in 2021 to spread Christian nationalist ideology on campuses. The 2024 keynote was delivered by then-candidate Donald Trump to proclaim his belief in a gender binary, opposition to Critical Race Theory and his intent to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Democracy Summit 2026, on the other hand, will bring together more than 500 young pro-democracy influencers for a day of civic renewal, organizing and inspiration from national leaders.
Panel sessions will focus “on gun violence, reproductive rights, energy, antisemitism, civil rights, and the future of our democracy,” He said. Workshops will be offered to “a room full of people who showed up because they actually give a damn.”
The summit is timed to coincide with both the nation’s 250th anniversary and to celebrate the July 4, 2023, founding of Dream for America.
“We’ve eclipsed every other kind of liberal left-wing young people organization in the country, and we are second only to Turning Point, which is great,” he said. “We’re building up quite a network and we’re continuing to make headway because people are introducing us to all sorts of folks, and I would say we are really gaining momentum.”
But gaining ground on TPUSA is going to be an uphill battle. The right-wing group claims more than 800 college chapters, 1,200 student-led clubs and surging demand since the assassination of founder Charlie Kirk in September.
The challenge requires remaining decidedly young, doggedly liberal and pro-democracy and hyper focused on its goal of “Building Turning Point USA for the Left,” as the organization’s website declares.
Dream for America’s purpose “is to win the battle for the soul of America’s youth and inspire a new wave of young liberals, informed citizens and future leaders who will choose common sense and rational leadership at a time of apathetic, nationalist, divisive, and irrational extremism.”
“I think the majority of this generation is still moderate or liberal leaning, but there’s been a sizable shift,” He said. “Trump carried young men by 16 points last cycle, which is the strongest Republican showing in generations. Kamala Harris still won a majority of young women, but Trump made huge inroads there.”
One of the biggest challenges is cutting through the fear and lies TPUSA and MAGA are constantly feeding the nation and young people, He said. “We can’t agree on anything in this country because we can’t agree on facts. Half the country lives an entirely different reality.”
Still, the college freshman has hope: “I’m a huge believer that nobody is unreachable. How can we blame people for not coming along to our worldview if they have never even heard of it?”