Since almost every thread is about Kirk, here's another one. This speaks to his influence. I knew who he was but was never a fan. Didn't care for his provocative style. But I have to admit, I didn't know how influential he was. And based on the reactions of this board, neither did many others. It's really a generational thing. His appeal and popularity were largely with Gen Z (not exactly this board's demographic).
Trump likely wouldn't have won this past election without Kirk turning out young voters like he did. Politically speaking, going forward, we'll find out if someone can pick up his mantle or the conservative movement on campuses starts to fade.
Charlie Kirk Helped Republicans Break Through to Young People
It was nearly impossible for college students to open social media without being served a video of Kirk
When Olivia Hubbard left Iowa to attend college, she thought she was going to get a break from the conservatism her dad was always touting. Instead, she was politically awakened.
Hubbard, now 19 years old, was convinced by a roommate to see Charlie Kirk last year when he visited Grand Canyon University, 20 minutes from the headquarters of Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA. Listening to Kirk speak, Hubbard said, was like hearing all of her beliefs articulated clearly.
“I thought it was supercool that there’s someone younger who was going to all these universities, and who did believe in God and really made that known,” said Hubbard, who is Christian. From that moment on she was hooked, staying up late watching videos of Kirk debating liberal students on other college campuses.
Kirk was killed Wednesday during a visit to Utah Valley University. The 31-year-old had become a standard-bearer of the MAGA movement and has been credited by President Trump for building his support with young people and helping ensure his return to office.
Mourners watched the arrival of Charlie Kirk's casket at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix on Thursday. Photo: Rebecca Noble for WSJ
A master of 21st century mass media, Kirk accomplished what Republicans had failed to do for decades: break through with younger generations. Regardless of whether they supported him or not, it was nearly impossible for college students to open social media without being served a video of Kirk.
For a generation of young conservatives, he inspired them to proudly tout their views, including opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. Countless others said his views were discriminatory and offensive. Love him or hate him, Kirk was ubiquitous.
Kirk also used social media to connect directly with young people whose views he wanted to elevate, messaging people directly to offer mentorship and launch careers. He boosted a new class of young conservative influencers, political aides and lawmakers, successfully lobbying Trump to pick
JD Vance as
his vice president.
“Charlie is the reason why I’m in Congress today,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, (R., Fla.) said in an interview. Kirk recruited Luna, 36, to work at his grassroots conservative organization, Turning Point USA, as director of Hispanic engagement in 2018. She went on to become the first federally elected alumni of his organization.
Luna said Kirk was successful in part because he knew how to use social media “to connect with the generation that’s grown up in a digital age.” Kirk’s Instagram account had more than 12 million followers.
Riley Gaines, 25, a conservative activist and former college swimmer who campaigns against transgender women participating in female sports, said Kirk deployed her to college campuses to speak with students about her experience.
“It’s Charlie who really gave me a platform, inviting me early on to just speak with him about it, offering his advice, his guidance,” said Gaines.
The legacy of Kirk’s message varies depending on whom you ask.
The evangelical Christian and father of two urged women to marry young, have many children and submit to their husbands. He said the Civil Rights Act was a mistake and opposed diversity efforts and gun control. He said transgender people were suffering from “mental delusion.”
“He didn’t have a lot of empathy or sympathy for humans. And I think that his views were flawed,” said Sofia Doneski, 18, a student at Arizona State University. Still, she said Kirk was talented at appealing to young people. “I don’t see anyone doing that for leftists,” she said.
His impact was undeniable. In 2020, then-candidate
Joe Biden easily won voters 18-29 with nearly two thirds of the vote. By 2024, Trump closed the gap to 4 percentage points behind then-Vice President
Kamala Harris. He outright won a majority of young men, according to data from AP VoteCast, an election survey.
“He’s probably the most influential person in our generation,” Carlie Jo Ahrenstorff, 21, a student at GCU, said through tears Thursday. Ahrenstorff said she and her roommates had huddled in their living room watching Fox News for updates, praying for Kirk to survive.
Carlie Jo Ahrenstorff, 21, at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. Photo: Rebecca Noble for WSJ
Kirk also mastered live events, drawing thousands of excited college students to his appearances, either eager to hear him dunk on a liberal or hoping to see him get schooled by a debate opponent. He invited people of any political persuasion to spar with him under a plastic tent at his “Prove Me Wrong” events—“bring the best libs that Utah has to offer,” he said before he was killed Wednesday.
“That was his happy place was to be out under that tent, debating with people, and then just being out in the crowd of students,” said Carson Carpenter, 20, the former president of the College Republicans at ASU who also organized with Turning Point.
Several liberal students who debated him said after his death that while they vehemently disagreed with many of his views, they appreciated his willingness to debate and said conversations were respectful.
Kirk was hard to ignore. “There was this buzz going around” when he came to campus, said Mahogany McDougle, 18, a GCU student.
Kirk also built a formidable grassroots political machine. His organization, Turning Point USA, became a Republican hub on college campuses at a time when some conservative students felt isolated. It claims more than 250,000 student members with 3,500 college chapters at schools ranging from small private Christian universities to large public universities and Ivy League schools.
Attendees at a Turning Point USA event at Ohio State University where Kirk spoke in 2019. Photo: Megan jelinger/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
Taylor Rogers, 24, an assistant press secretary at the White House, started a Turning Point USA chapter at Clemson University that became the largest chapter in the country at the time. She first met Kirk at a campus event. “In some way, he influenced everyone who is my age that is working in the White House today.”
Beyond his impact on campus, several prominent conservative influencers say Kirk was a mentor who encouraged their activism from a young age.
Brilyn Hollyhand, 19, a freshman at Auburn University, was only in the fourth grade when he invited Kirk to come on his own podcast. He was surprised that Kirk not only responded to him, but also agreed to join. The show ended up going 30 minutes past the scheduled time.
According to Hollyhand, when he asked Kirk why he had agreed to talk, Kirk said, “‘I give campus speeches begging Gen Z to get off the sidelines. And here’s a Gen Z member, you know, off the sidelines in the fight.’ And he was, like, ‘I wanted to reward you, and I wanted to thank you.’”
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That doesn't answer the question, Damo. Sure he would have. Charlie Kirk was very smooth. He was to be the crown prince of MAGA and, possibly, the first 
