Leftist Students Win Majority of Federal Truman Scholarships for Third Consecutive Year

For the third consecutive year, the majority of Truman Scholarships were awarded to leftist students. This year, 44 of the 62 recipients had either previously worked for a Democratic organization or mentioned a progressive ideal in their application

According to a report by the College Fix, the federally-funded Truman Scholarship were overwhelmingly awarded to leftist students for the third consecutive year. Each year, the $30,000 Truman Scholarship is awarded to 50 to 60 students from around the country that have shown an interest in public service.

Only four of the 62 recipients of the 2020 Truman Scholarship identified as politically conservative in their applications. Meanwhile, 44 of the 62 recipients had either previously worked for a Democratic organization or mentioned a progressive ideal in their application.

One recipient mentioned “social justice” in her application. Another recipient mentioned that he wanted to address “racial bias in the criminal justice system.” A third recipient argued that “environmental justice” is one of America’s most pressing issues.

Breitbart News reported last year that the Truman Scholarship was awarded to zero conservative students in 2018. Meanwhile, 36 of the 59 recipients in 2018 had worked for Democratic candidates including Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Barack Obama.

Truman Foundation Executive Secretary Dr. Terry Babcock-Lumish said that the foundation does not require scholarship applicants to provide their political affiliation. Babcock-Lumish said that the foundation believes that the challenges that the next set of American leaders will face are not partisan.

“The Truman Foundation is committed to identifying aspiring public service leaders throughout the United States,” Babcock-Lumish said. “The challenging issues Americans face are not necessarily partisan — and they need not be.”

“We support all of our Truman Scholars along their paths in public service, regardless of their politics,” she added. “We are proud today to have Truman Scholars from across the country and party lines on the frontlines of COVID-19 surveillance and response.”