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To some, Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed yesterday at a rally in Utah, was a hero, the future of the Republican Party, a man whose many young followers stood in joyful attention as he spun his version of the conservative gospel.
To others, Kirk was a bigot, a spreader of misinformation and a political figure who thrived on outrage and intimidation.
But both his admirers and detractors would agree on one thing: Kirk and the organization he founded, Turning Point USA, were effective.
Boise State political communication scholar Sam Martin writes that in 2016, “Turning Point mobilized thousands of students for Trump’s campaign, and Kirk was invited to speak at the Republican National Convention. By 2020, the organization was playing a more overt political role. Turning Point Action ran voter-registration drives in battleground states, and the group sponsored buses and advertising to bring supporters to Washington, D.C ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, ‘Stop the Steal’ rally.”
The speaking event where Kirk was shot stands as a model of what the 31-year-old aimed to do: enlist young people across the nation into the conservative movement. But his killing has been characterized as the deadly outcome of America’s toxic and polarized politics.
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Charlie Kirk addresses the 2024 Republican National Convention on July 15, 2024.
Al Drago/Getty Images
Stephanie A. (Sam) Martin, Boise State University
Charlie Kirk and his organization connected students and the GOP in new and effective ways. But the slain conservative spread misinformation and thrived on outrage and intimidation.
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