American Destiny (AmDest), a youth-centered 501(c)4 started by Connecticut high school and college students, endorsed Ryan Fazio for Governor at a packed event in Stamford on Monday night.

AmDest was launched in the past year by some very precocious Connecticut youth who got their feet wet in politics working for a couple Republican campaigns in the '24 cycle. They determined that a more action-oriented national group was needed - a complement of sorts to Turning Point's more educational focus. They position themselves as a 'force-multiplier' to political campaigns - to hit the ground with action, to do the nitty-gritty necessary to drive campaigns to victory. And they expect to do just that for Ryan Fazio's effort.

AmDest's Paige Shepard emceed the night, first introducing Chris Pettinella, a recent Trumbull High School graduate and founder of The Edmund Burke Society at Trumbull High School. Pettinella, an inspiring young man, shared his experience running for office in Trumbull, knocking on nearly every door in town and even planting trees in potholes in what became a viral campaign moment. Unfortunately he lost, but he earned 300 more votes than the last person who ran for the seat, and he helped boost overall election day turnout.

His message was clear: Connecticut first matters, especially to young people.

He doesn't want to have to leave the state of Connecticut to have a decent life; he wants his future to be here. That's why he wants young people, including himself, to step up, engage in the political process, and help effect positive change.

Next up, Blake Consentino, the founder and president of AmDest and a Connecticut First guy, started off his remarks by offering a "complete and unwavering endorsement" of Ryan Fazio for governor of Connecticut.

"I can tell you with certainty that Ryan Fazio is our guy," said Consentino, a young man who clearly has a political future ahead of him.

"When has the status quo ever changed history? It has always been the visionaries, the dreamers, and the young. Those who are on the outside, because it is we who know a better world is possible," asserted Consentino. "We know a better state is possible. We must assert that, yes, we are here, and that we will no longer let what is ours be taken from us in the same vein."

"We are being systematically forced out of the very towns, cities, and neighborhoods where we grew up, the places where we were told we could one day live," he explained. "The world we were promised no longer exists. We can't afford to lose our inheritance. The time is late, but the time is now."

"Gen Z are choosing to fight. We will not give up on Connecticut. We will not retreat across state borders. We're not going to be silenced by our peers or professors by our government or other sensors. We will not have our roots ripped out from underneath us," he assured everyone.

"And we will do whatever it takes over the next 11 months to ensure that we win."

The young people in the room were very taken with the 35-year-old Fazio, who spoke to their concerns about affordability, open borders, home ownership, zoning control and more.

"As Governor, I will cut electric rates by 20 percent and make Connecticut affordable for all. I'll deliver a $1,500 income tax cut for the average family in Connecticut," said Fazio. "I will ensure that we have affordability for housing in our state while protecting local control, protecting our taxpayers and our families and our towns on a local level rather than giving free rein to developers to do whatever they want to turn Ridgefield into Rochester, Brooklyn, Connecticut, into Brooklyn, New York."

He also promised to reverse the Trust Act that makes Connecticut a sanctuary for illegals.

Fazio knows as well as American Destiny that people in Connecticut are hungry for a change, and they don't want to have to leave the state because of failed Democrat policies.

"Political leadership in this state has failed our residents worse than any other state in the country," said Fazio. "But I'm more optimistic than I've ever been."

Not just Fazio, but the whole room was brimming with hope - hope that in this election cycle Connecticut's patriotic youth will finally make the difference necessary to recapture the statehouse.