ASUCD Senator, presidential candidate Aaron Heth attended a fully funded retreat affiliated with TPUSA
Heth was flown out to a conference hosted by the Campus Victory Project, a conservative non-profit which seeks to influence student government elections
By DOMENICA PELOSO AND VINCE BASADA — campus@theaggie.org
April 15, 2026
ASUCD Senator Aaron Heth, a third-year political science major running for student government president, attended a conference hosted by the non-profit Campus Victory Project (CVP) — a group funded by Turning Point USA (TPUSA). The two-day event is designed to guide conservative college students from across the country to run for and participate in student government.
Founded in 2015, the CVP is “dedicated to activating, recruiting, supporting, and training a new generation of common sense and well-equipped leaders on the biggest college campuses in the United States of America,” according to its website.
In December 2025, Heth was flown out to attend CVP’s Prospective Victory Retreat in Scottsdale, Ariz. — all expenses covered. There, over 250 students gathered for campaign workshops, keynote speaker events, head-to-head debates and informational sessions on the importance of policy-making, according to conference materials reviewed by The California Aggie.
As noted in a leaked 25-page CVP brochure published around 2018, the organization’s “first and primary goal is to commandeer the top office of Student Body President at each of the most recognizable and influential American universities.” The brochure also notes that the CVP previously helped secure 54 student body president elections and lists UC Davis as a target for possible CVP influence.
CVP’s policy goals include defunding progressive nonprofits, blocking all Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) groups, demanding opt-outs for student services spending and starting pro-America, pro-Israel and free-market events on campus, according to the leaked brochure. CVP claims to have a presence on over 400 college campuses nationwide.
The connection between Heth and CVP first came to light following an anonymous tip, which included social media posts and documents reviewed and verified by The California Aggie.
Heth later confirmed that he attended the conference, though said that he was put-off “pretty early on” by CVP and chose not to involve himself with the group further. He denied that he has received any support from CVP or from TPUSA, including any mentorship or financial contributions to his campaign. Heth also said that he did not research CVP or its history before accepting the invitation to attend the Prospective Victory Retreat.
“I did not know anything about the organization before attending, and I found that my values do not align with that organization at all,” Heth said in a written statement. “Let me be clear: I wholeheartedly denounce what they stand for, and their values do not align with my personal convictions or my governing vision for ASUCD. I have since had no further contact or affiliation with the organization.”
Heth denounced both CVP and ASUCD election interference from third parties altogether, but did not disclose specific views of CVP he did not align with or what was discussed at the Scottsdale conference.
“My campaign is centered around protecting basic needs, promoting environmentalism, and supporting our vibrant and diverse campus community,” the statement reads. “These are my priorities; any implication that I have any ulterior motives or associations is unequivocally false.”
Heth was just one of six California representatives to attend the retreat. He said that he was first approached and invited to the summit in October 2025 by CVP recruiter Charlie Schumer, a student at Stanford Law School whom Heth referred to as a friend.
Heth initially stated that he was unaware if Schumer had solicited other students for CVP, but later said that another UC Davis student attended the conference alongside him after receiving a similar invite. Heth also said that he did not report the CVP’s attempts to recruit candidates to the ASUCD Elections Officer, who monitors and administers student voting.
The California Aggie has also learned that a separate ASUCD student government candidate was approached by Schumer this school year. In a LinkedIn message to the candidate, Schumer wrote: “Through our program, we provide students with a leadership mentor, bring them together to network with other leaders from across the country, and help them win in their student elections. When I was a student, CVP helped me get elected as the SGA Vice-President!”
Schumer did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication. Heth would not comment on whether he has maintained his friendship with Schumer or been in communication with him since December 2025.
Though CVP was formally founded in 2015, reports of student government election interference date back to 2012, the year TPUSA was founded. That year, TPUSA-backed Greek life candidates in Arizona “built an infrastructure of conservative, pro-Israel, pro-free market students [who] were able to get on the Board of Regents and win in every student government race possible,” according to the leaked brochure.
More recently, Iowa State University opened an impeachment trial against its student body president in February due to his alleged involvement with CVP; he reportedly signed a non-disclosure agreement with CVP. In March, Colorado State University's student paper, The Rocky Mountain Collegian, reported that members of their student government had been accepting funds from CVP for the past four years.
Reports from Texas State University’s newspaper, The University Star, state that its student government president received an under-the-table campaign donation of $2,800 and 25 iPads from CVP in 2018. In 2023, CVP provided $182,482 in grant money to 133 students, according to watchdog group Influence Watch.
ASUCD Bylaws prohibit the funding of election campaigns by non-UC Davis organizations, as well as by clubs and non-UC Davis undergraduates. Bylaws also limit individual campaign donations to less than $10 and expenditures for an executive ticket’s campaigning to $500.
Heth is currently running for ASUCD President as part of the Vision slate against fellow Senator Luis L. Garcia, a third-year political science and Chicanx studies double major of the Viva slate. If elected, Heth would be responsible for administering and overseeing ASUCD’s $22 million annual budget. He is running on an executive ticket alongside internal vice president candidate Sean Birge, a third-year political science major. The pair’s campaign goals have been to secure basic needs services and to increase funding for registered student organizations.
Heth transferred to UC Davis in fall 2025 from the Santa Rosa Junior College and was elected to the Senate that quarter, amassing the most votes of any candidate that election cycle. He was initially disqualified by the ASUCD Elections Committee for alleged voter intimidation, a decision overturned by the ASUCD Judicial Council on appeal due to a lack of evidence.
While ASUCD election ballots don’t open until the week of April 20, campaigning has already begun. Several candidates, including Heth and Birge, have started soliciting endorsements from clubs and student officials.
Birge did not provide comment for this story.
Written by: Domenica Peloso and Vince Basada — campus@theaggie.org