I read the article and watched the NBC interview with the kid and I couldn't get any sense of his ideological leanings. He seems to be legitimately a politics geek and aspiring journalist. I can't confidently categorize him as a "young GOP idealist."
But to your second point, I always have a hard time understanding how anyone who isn't an old white guy could get behind the GOP.
Rosa: Wow, she is good at shushing.
Jake: I know. She's like a librarian.
Rosa: You mean like a sexy librarian?
Jake: No, a regular one!