Previous Leaks Have Also Exposed Racist Messages Among Young Republicans
A Republican leader in South Florida is facing mounting pressure to resign after a leaked group chat revealed widespread racist, antisemitic and violent messages among members tied to conservative student organizations.
Abel Alexander Carvajal, the secretary of the Republican Party of Miami-Dade County, is under scrutiny after the Miami Herald obtained messages from a WhatsApp group he created for conservative students at Florida International University.
According to the newspaper, the N-word appeared in the chat more than 400 times, alongside slurs targeting Jewish people, LGBTQ individuals and women. Some participants in the conversation also discussed violent acts against Black people.
The revelations have sparked condemnation from political leaders and renewed debate about extremism among some young conservative activists.
Messages Included Threats of Violence
The leaked messages reportedly included extreme statements advocating violence against Black people.
One participant, identified as William Bejerano, suggested multiple methods of killing Black individuals, including crucifixion, beheading and dissection.
Another participant, Daniel Gonzalez, who at the time served as the College Republicans recruitment chairman at Florida International University, responded sarcastically to some of the comments.
“How edgy,” Gonzalez reportedly wrote in response to one message.
In another exchange, Gonzalez mocked faculty members at the university.
“Ew you had colored professors?!” he wrote in the chat. “I reguse [sic] to be indoctrinated by the coloreds.”
At another point he told participants he used the term “colored” because, “I was told we cant say black anymore,” before later adding, “Avoid the coloreds like the plague.”
Messages also included misogynistic language, calling women “whores,” along with antisemitic comments and praise for Adolf Hitler’s political ideology.
Carvajal Faces Calls to Resign
Carvajal himself is not reported to have sent racist messages in the chat. However, critics say his role in creating the group and failing to shut it down makes him responsible for allowing the environment to continue.
Kevin Cooper, chairman of the Miami-Dade Republican Party, called for accountability.
“Anyone associated with this chat should resign immediately,” Cooper said. “Racism and antisemitism have no place in the Republican Party.”
Cooper also noted the diverse makeup of the local party organization.
“I am proud to be the first Jewish chairman of the Miami-Dade Republican Party, which is comprised of a diverse group of members from every race and background,” he said.
The pressure on Carvajal intensified as details from the chat continued to circulate publicly.
Carvajal Responds to Controversy
In comments to the Miami Herald, Carvajal acknowledged some responsibility for creating the group but said he did not see many of the racist messages until after the controversy surfaced.
“I guess to an extent, I bear some responsibility, cause I created a chat,” he said. “But if I had seen this at the moment, I would have removed [Bejerano] from the chat. I probably would have even blocked his number.”
The newspaper reported that Carvajal deleted 42 of his own messages from the group and at least 14 messages from other participants.
However, critics have questioned how such extensive racist content could circulate in the chat without intervention from its creator.
Florida International University confirmed that the messages are now part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
Several individuals in the chat were reportedly students or affiliated with conservative campus groups, including the university’s chapter of Turning Point USA.
Turning Point USA Connection
Among those involved in the group chat was Ian Valdes, president of the Turning Point USA chapter at Florida International University.
Turning Point USA is a conservative student organization founded by activist Charlie Kirk. The group has become influential on college campuses nationwide, promoting conservative political activism among young voters.
Kirk, who was fatally shot on the campus of Utah Valley University in September 2025, had previously drawn criticism for controversial comments about civil rights history.
He once called Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “awful” and “not a good person,” and described the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed racial discrimination in public spaces, as a “mistake.”
The involvement of individuals connected to the organization in the group chat has renewed scrutiny of campus political culture and online spaces where extremist rhetoric can spread unchecked.
Lawmakers Condemn Racist Messages
Florida State Sen. Shevrin Jones, whose district includes Miami-Dade County, said the revelations were deeply disturbing and demanded accountability.
“I am outraged and deeply disturbed by the racist and antisemitic text messages associated with this chat,” Jones said in a statement.
“Language that demeans Black residents, Jewish people, or any community is not only offensive. It is dangerous. It fuels the very hate and division that too many families in our country have suffered from for generations.”
Jones said leaders must be held responsible when hateful rhetoric emerges in spaces tied to political organizations.
“When someone in a leadership position spreads racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric, it betrays the public trust and undermines the values that define our community,” he said.
“Words like these cannot simply be dismissed as jokes, private conversations or poor judgment. They reflect attitudes that are incompatible with leadership in a community as diverse and proud as Miami-Dade.”
In an interview with the Miami Herald, leading Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, who is Black, denounced what he called the “woke right” during a speech in Miami last fall, describing it as a growing faction within conservative politics.
Donalds said the trend gained momentum following the killing of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. He used the term “woke right” to describe far right voices that oppose all immigration and promote what he called “soft bigotry” through rhetoric shared on social media.
Not the First Racism Controversy Among Young Republicans
The incident is not the first time leaked messages have exposed racist comments among young Republicans in Florida.
In October 2025, another controversy erupted after a separate group of state party young Republicans were caught making racist jokes about slavery and rape in private chats.
Some of those individuals worked for Republican lawmakers and had received endorsements from prominent MAGA figures.
The repeated controversies have fueled broader criticism of the Republican Party’s struggle with issues of race and extremism among some of its younger activists.
Race and Politics Remain Flashpoints in Florida
The controversy comes amid ongoing political debates about race and education in Florida.
Governor Ron DeSantis has led efforts to restrict how topics such as slavery, systemic racism and diversity programs are discussed in schools.
His administration has pushed policies targeting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, while opposing the teaching of critical race theory.
Those policies later became part of a broader national Republican agenda under the Trump administration.
The tension around race is also shaping Florida’s upcoming 2026 gubernatorial race.
Republican Congressman Byron Donalds, who is Black and endorsed by President Donald Trump, is considered a leading candidate for governor.
However, Donalds has faced racist attacks from fellow Republican candidate James Fishback during the primary contest.
Despite supporting some of the party’s anti-DEI policies, Donalds has also condemned what he described as the Republican Party’s “soft bigotry.”
Critics have at times mocked him with the nickname “DEI Donalds,” highlighting the ongoing contradictions within political debates around race inside the party.
