One year after Charlie Kirk's assassination, Republicans commemorate his legacy as Turning Point USA navigates an uncertain path forward
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, while speaking at his "American Comeback Tour" event. Suspect Tyler Robinson, then 22, allegedly fired one shot from a rooftop overlooking the quad; he surrendered to authorities the following night in St. George, Utah. Kirk was 31 at the time of his death, leaving behind his wife Erika and two young children.
Two sources · Thin corroboration
On the one-year anniversary of Kirk's death, Republicans gathered at the GOP midterm convention in Dallas paid tribute to the conservative activist, while the organization he built continued to grapple with leadership and organizational challenges. Convention attendees described Kirk's death as a galvanizing moment and lamented the absence of a comparable voice for young conservatives.
Turning Point USA reported significant expansion in the 2025-2026 school year, with the organization saying it now counts over one million involved students across 3,500 high school clubs and 1,500 college chapters, according to NPR. Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, took over as the organization's CEO after his death. Spokesman Andrew Kolvet told NPR the group is facing "a confluence of challenges" but said it is "still growing in nearly every conceivable way."
Several student organizers interviewed by NPR offered a more complicated picture of the organization's trajectory. Some described declining enthusiasm, intraparty tensions over the Trump administration's policies — including military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and the administration's relationship with Israel — and confusion over who, if anyone, can fill Kirk's role as a direct conduit between young conservatives and the White House. At the start of Trump's second term, 92% of Trump voters under 35 approved of his job performance, according to Pew Research Center data cited by NPR; by late April 2026, that figure had dropped to 57%.