SOMERSET – Katie Mirne got right to the point:

“We are the future of New Jersey,” she said Friday as fellow students and some adults gathered for a “Young Conservatives Brunch” sponsored by the New Jersey High School Republicans.

Mirne, who attends Colts Neck High School, chairs the high school Republicans. The group has more than 200 members and chapters in about half of the state’s 21 counties, she said.

Two of the speakers – Jack Ciattarelli and Bill Spadea – are 2025 gubernatorial candidates.

Also speaking was Billy Prempeh, the GOP candidate against Bill Pascrell in CD-9, Laura Ali, the Morris County Republican Chair, Justin Musella, a Parsippany councilman and mayoral candidate next year, and Zach Dora of Jersey 1st, a conservative advocacy group.

That was an impressive roster, especially in the middle of summer.

One pertinent question, especially for a high school group, popped up. Polls and anecdotes suggest that young people – or at least those who care about politics – lean to the left.

Why?

Ciattarelli was first to tackle that question.

He said it’s important to meet young people where they are, such as college campuses.

Issues count too. With that in mind, he brought up Somerville and asked what visitors are apt to see there.

“Cars,” was one reply.

Ciattarelli had something else in mind. He spoke of “buildings,” or rather, new construction in downtown. He said high-rise units that are affordable benefit young people by giving them a reasonable place to live. Not only that, they can make for a lively and bustling community.

Age can’t be ignored in this discussion – obviously.

Musella said demographics reveal that the average age of a New Jersey Republican is 58. That’s problematic. Musella, by the way, is 32.

He urged Republicans to play “offense” and to tell young people that it is Republican economic theory that gives them the best chance to be prosperous later in life.

Still, there’s more.

There is a social component to politics that outsiders can miss. The circuit of campaign events, fundraisers, rallies and brunches – like the one on Friday – can be a lot of fun. And it’s a great way to make new friends.

Bringing people into that mix may be a challenge for both parties, but perhaps more so with Republicans who tend to skew older than Democrats.

As Ali noted, there are times when “People don’t think it’s cool to be a Republican.”

So the challenge, as Ali said, is to acknowledge issues young people care about – climate change is one – and try to reach some type of consensus. It’s also to organize events aimed at younger individuals.

On this scale, Ali is always upbeat, talking about how this is a great time to be a Morris County Republican.

Prempeh, who is running against Pascrell for the third time, gave the most dramatic response.

He admitted that Republicans have to do a better job defining what a conservative means for young people.

To him it’s all about freedom – the freedom to live one’s life the way one wants.

Or more strikingly, the freedom not to be a “slave.”

The rhetoric may have been a bit over the top, but it certainly made an impression.