Brandon Straka #WalkAway Founder Receives American Patriot of the Year Award

Miguel Moreno
By Miguel Moreno
March 27, 2019US News
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Brandon Straka was honored by the Queen’s Village Republican Club with the American Patriot of the Year Award on March 24. Straka, the #WalkAway campaign founder, was one among many special guests invited to speak at the club’s 144th Anniversary Lincoln Dinner in New York City.

“First of all, it’s such an honor to get such an award, but also to know that just two years ago I was a liberal, Democrat voter,” said Straka in an interview with NTD News. “And today, I’m sort of, heading up this movement that I think has really touched people.”

Brandon Straka Receives Award.
Queens Village Republican Club President Philip Orenstein gives American Patriot of the Year Award to #WalkAway Campaign Founder Brandon Straka at the 144th Anniversary Lincoln Dinner in New York, New York, on March 24, 2019. (Miguel Moreno/NTD News)

The #WalkAway movement has encouraged people on the left to rethink their support for the Democratic Party and liberal media, which Straka says is responsible for producing fake news, using identity politics to divide people, and being a force driven by hate and socialist ideology. His movement is reminiscent of Candace Owens’s Blexit: both campaigns with missions to liberate people from extreme liberalism.

This Is More Than Just About Parties

Though the Walkaway movement highlights people that walked away from the Democrat Party, Straka said that this is more than just political; rather, it is about being an individual.

“You can become an Independent, you can become a Libertarian, you can become a Republican—the most important thing is, for God’s sake, think for yourself!” he said at the Abraham Lincoln-branded podium after receiving the symbol of American patriotism.

Podium at the 144th Anniversary Lincoln Dinner
Podium at the 144th Anniversary Lincoln Dinner hosted by the Queens Village Republican Club in New York, New York. Taken on March 24, 2019. (Miguel Moreno/NTD News)

He said before he could think for himself, he trusted the liberal media, and whatever narrative they pushed, he followed.

At least until a staunch Christian conservative woman sent him a video debunking media coverage of President Trump supposedly mocking a reporter’s disability. Afterward, he spent the next few months researching the media, finding and tracing the strings of deceit.

Socialist Influence in the Left

Straka made a point to call the left socialists during his speech, and the claim was met with support by his fellow Republicans. He also makes this point on his #WalkAway campaign page: “Today’s leftist pseudo-liberalism is more committed to expanding the scope of government, pushing us into collectivism, and groupthink.”

Also attending the dinner was the host of “This Is America” podcast Rich Valdes, who is exploring a campaign in congress against Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

Rich Valdes
Host of “This is America” podcast Rich Valdes at the Queens Village Republican Club’s 144th Anniversary Lincoln Dinner in New York, New York, on March 24, 2019. (Miguel Moreno/NTD News)

“She’s promoting the Green New Deal—and while that may come from an altruistic place—recent surveys and polls show people are not interested in that,” said Valdes. “While she finds no issue with that, I do. I think that policies that are rooted in collectivist ideals have not proven to be successful anywhere.”

A Question For Black Americans

The next #WalkAway Campaign event will be held in the AMC Magic Johnson Theatre in Harlem on March 27. This time, Straka wants to ask black Americans why 90 percent of their votes are Democrat.

A screening of “The Great Awakening: Breaking the Chains of the Democratic Party” will show before the discussion begins at the event.