TARs has had a presence in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, with membership in the tens of thousands.

[2] The oldest recorded TAR group was formed in 1960 in South Dakota.

[3] The first national conference was held in Washington D.C. at Trinity College on June 16–21, 1969,[4] and ever since National TARs has hosted an annual Teen Age Republican Leader Conference (TLC).

[5] Following his 1980 election victory, Ronald Reagan held a reception for delegates to the TLC, where he stated that TARs "had a significant impact in the outcome of the last election...you walked the precincts, you licked stamps, stuffed envelopes, got senior citizens to the polls, and babysat while mothers voted...what you did [made] the difference between winning and losing.

"[6] Ex-TARs members include Lawrence Lessig,[7] Paris Dennard,[8] Frank Luntz,[9] and Rob Bishop.