Though he's not yet 19, CJ Pearson has been making a name for himself in politics for years. He currently serves as the campaign manager for Vernon Jones' gubernatorial campaign as he looks to unseat Gov. Brian Kemp and be the Republican nominee in Georgia. CJ also has his own podcast, "CJ Pearson UNCENSORED," which he spoke to Townhall about.
CJ used the example of students he hears from who seek being able to stand up to their liberal professors. Not only does CJ want to show them how to speak up, but how to show these students they're not alone in their conservative values.
He also urges young people to have the courage to speak up, to pass that courage on to others. "I always tell people," CJ offered, "if you have the courage to be the one person in the classroom who raises your hand and challenges your liberal teacher, you're going to give that same courage, probably unknowingly, to another person in that classroom to do it next time." He agreed that that was "planting the seed" in a way.`
While this is one example, CJ affirmed he seeks not to be just someone who young people look up to, but that he is able to reach all other kinds of people as well. He sees himself as providing "an unvarnished take on everything that's going on," with how "people are sick and tired of the political correctness and the pussyfooting around all these really important issues that are going on." CJ went on to list examples such as biological men competing in women's sports and Critical Race Theory as "actual threats" when it comes to "the foundation of our nation" and "should be treated as such."
CJ repeatedly emphasized that "unvarnished" take when it comes to "our truth and speaking it" which is the focus of his podcast "every single week."
He likewise stressed that "I don't care who I offend, because America is far more important than that," especially when it comes to our founding. To put it in modern day terms, it took "people who didn't care about being canceled back then to get to where we are today."
And, when it does come to cancel culture today, CJ affirmed "that's really where I am, you know, it's just like screw this cancel culture BS, I'm going to speak my truth just like the left does, and if anybody has a problem with it, they can call into my show and address it."
Such was a point of the interview which really stuck out about CJ, that not only is he impassioned about fighting for what he believes in and "speak[ing] my truth," he invites others to debate and engage on the issues.
CJ acknowledged "it's one thing for me to talk about why I believe what I believe, but it's another thing to show you how to actually engage in political combat" and "debate you're going to be dealing with."
On specific issues, CJ pointed once more to the need to protect women's sports and to protect children from a transgender ideology. He referred to them as "issues right now where it's not even about left or right, it's really just about right or wrong" and explained he thinks "that this radical drift that the left `is doing right now" is turning people off rather than bringing more people over to their side.
As a young Black man, CJ knows a thing or two about identity politics. When it comes to "the hate that you get from the left [it] is so interesting" as "these are the people who claim to be the most tolerant among us but who really are the most hateful" and to "see a Black man with a mind of his own" leads them to "call him racial slurs," such as 'sell out' and 'Uncle Tom,' with examples such as Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Candace Owens.
While his parents are Democrats, CJ confirmed that they raised him to think for himself.
The young man filled me in that his podcast is currently weekly, but will soon be biweekly, and discusses the "the biggest issues that define the conversation of the week."