Kelly, a 43-year-old political newcomer and little known sports executive from southeastern Farnham County, is running for the CNS nomination against a Goliath opponent -- former Gov. Ben Jordan.
Jordan has raised $4.3 million, Kelly has raised just $1.9 million.
Many national and state Conservative leaders have rallied behind Jordan, while Kelly has received a few endorsements from a handful of prominent Conservatives.
And yet, the younger Kelly is attracting attention, not just in Biereland but nationally.
He's said that he respects Jordan, but the time for a new, younger Conservative leader is now. Jordan, 73, is running for a third term. He previously served as governor from 2015 to 2023. Before that, he served two terms as the state's attorney general.
And crowds are responding to Kelly. Speaking at the Young Conservatives Conference at the Climate Zone Arena in downtown Brookings last week, Kelly was front-and-center before more than 4,000 young CNS activists gathered from across the country. They applauded as Kelly spoke about the importance of the free market, low taxes and smaller government.
"Ben Jordan has done a good job, but we are entering a new era of radical Nationalist politicians who want to steer our country to socialism, to radical transgender theory, to radical social policies. We don't need an elderly candidate leading the fight against all that. We need a younger candidate from the next generation who can rise to the occasion and lead today's Gen Z and Millennials in the fight," said Kelly.
He received a standing ovation at the end of his speech.
Of course, the youthful audience at the YCC was stacked in Kelly's favor.
At various stops around the state, though, Kelly's crowds have been smaller than the YC Conference, but still impressive.
He pulled in over 60 people in the small town of Wisen, population 300, in north-central Biereland.
And in Berringer, he pulled in more than 300 people at a community forum that usually only attracts a few dozen attendees.
In Kensington, hundreds of people came out to hear him as he walked and spoke with the public in downtown.
And on social media, the candidate, a Millennial himself, is getting thousands of views on popular social media apps.
Kelly's presence on social media, where he often posts selfies and produces his own content, is unmatched by Jordan, who has staff that manage his socials.
"There's a clear age gap between these two candidates," says Peter Green, a political sociologist who is studying the race. "And you're seeing that in the energy and the media savviness of Chris Kelly."
The Jordan campaign dismisses Kelly as "an also-ran," as Jordan called him last week in a press conference.
"Chris Kelly is a nice kid," Jordan said. "But he doesn't have the experience, he doesn't have the network and connections, he doesn't have the money, and he really doesn't have any accomplishments to speak of."
Kelly acknowledges that beating Jordan would "be like David beating Goliath," as he told a reporter last week in a sit-down interview in between campaign appearances.
As he ate a brown-bag lunch at a picnic table at a food truck lot in Sanderson, a small town in north-central Biereland, Kelly admitted he is out-gunned by Jordan's money and campaign infrastructure.
"He definitely has the upper hand in this contest, no doubt about that," he said. "But what was I supposed to do? Just defer to Ben Jordan and let him run again? That's what everyone else has done. That's what all the other Conservatives in this state have done. We have a lot of people who make great Conservative governors, but nobody wanted to run against Ben Jordan. Everyone just deferred to him.
"Well, the problem with that is the polling shows Ben Jordan can't beat [incumbent Gov.] Joel Gruenwalder. So, we can defer to Ben Jordan. But then we lose to Joel Gruenwalder. Would you rather defer to a veteran candidate who is revered in this party and Conservatives in Biereland love Ben Jordan. But would you rather defer to him or beat Joel Gruenwalder? I'd rather win in December, personally," said Kelly.
Polls have shown a close hypothetical contest between Jordan and Gruenwalder (N), with Gruenwalder narrowly leading Jordan.
Kelly also trails Gruenwalder in the polls, although many voters polled say they've never heard of him before.
"There is a name recognition issue that we have to overcome. But I think if we have the party behind us and all the money that comes with that, we can get our name out there and give voters a real option. A lot of people would vote for me without even knowing me because they're just so sick of the NAT and these liberal policies coming out of Brookings," said Kelly.
The Gruenwalder campaign has not commented on the CNS primary, although political action committees (PACs) associated with Gruenwalder and the Nationalist Governors Association (NATGA) have reportedly been quietly supporting Jordan in the CNS primary race.
NATGA has dropped two TV commercials praising Jordan's conservative credentials. And a pro-NAT PAC has even donated to Jordan's campaign.
Jordan has said he will return the money from the NAT-affiliated PAC, although his campaign has not done so yet.
Regardless of who wins on the CNS side, it will be a difficult race for Conservatives.
Biereland is a center-right state, but Gruenwalder, a moderate, has deftly avoided contentious social issues. Polls show many Conservative voters approve of many of his policies.
"I don't see Joel Gruenwalder as someone who is really hated by Conservatives," said Green, who has analyzed many governors race in the past and present. "Joel Gruenwalder is a pretty middle-of-the-road guy. He may be a Nationalist and he may lean to the left, but he's not a Ramon Ramos or a Jenna Duvan," said Green, referring to two of the more liberal governors in other states, POG and Damoign, respectively.
The economy also seems to be doing fairly well in Biereland, after a post-pandemic burst of growth. And Gruenwalder has eschewed raising taxes, except a small increase on large corporations.
"Joel Gruenwalder is keeping Biereland's economy running and strong," said campaign spokesperson Cary Gilders. "Joel is focused on bringing new industry to Biereland, diversifying our economy, bringing living-wage jobs to our state, and strengthening our economic development package that will attract new businesses."
The governor focuses on the economy every week in his frequent social media posts.
For Kelly, the current governor is "okay."
"But we could do better," said Kelly. "I want to give not only the Conservative voters of Biereland another choice, but the people of Biereland a choice too. I believe in freedom, liberty, the free market, freedom of ideas and school choice and freedom of health. I think a lot of Bierelanders support those ideas, and I'd love to stack my policies up against Joel Gruenwalder's and let the people decide."
The Biereland primary election is scheduled for August 4.
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