“The youth is why we’re losing Texas. It’s not Californians moving in, it’s not New Yorkers moving in — the reality is they tend to vote Republican,” said Crenshaw, addressing young Republicans from all over Texas at the convention’s gala dinner.

He talked at length about the need for Republicans to think about how they can draw younger voters and clarify what exactly they stand for. He seemed to be acutely aware that relying on the traditional Republican base in Texas might not be enough in places like his own suburban Houston district, which he won by about 7% in 2018 — not as close as some Texas districts, but far closer than the 24 point win his Republican predecessor captured in 2016.

“We’re not reaching them, we’re not telling them why Republicans are right, we’re not telling them why our approach to governance is the correct one,” he said. “We get too mired in details and start insulting Democrats, and people don’t like that, they don’t understand what we’re talking about.”

“Being personally liberal that doesn’t make you politically left-leaning. We have to distinguish that. I think the left thinks they’re winning the youth in Texas, and frankly they are, but we’re making a comeback, we’re making a very hard comeback,” he said.