The Sundarban
As students streamed real into a Virginia Tech auditorium, shifting through metallic detectors and law enforcement officials, they passed by a reproduction of the tent that conservative activist Charlie Kirk sat below at Utah Valley University two weeks ago when he changed into once shot and killed. Lots of attendees posed for images under the cover emblazoned with Mr. Kirk’s tagline “PROVE ME WRONG,” subsequent to a describe of him.
The empty tent and the police dogs like been rapid reminders of how assorted this Turning Point USA match may maybe maybe be in comparison with so tons of the old faculty debates that Mr. Kirk held one day of his existence – and the challenges that lie forward as the GOP tries to make on his success with younger voters.
“The question that has been requested time and once more is ‘Who would be the next Charlie?’” mentioned Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, as he paced the stage in khaki pants and a blazer. “You is also the next Charlie,” he told the target audience, which with regards to filled the 3,000-seat auditorium.
Why We Wrote This
Supporters of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk protest to amplify his conservative early life circulation. As the Turning Point USA campus tour resumes, students at Virginia Tech share their vision for the cause he constructed.
Since Mr. Kirk’s loss of life on Sept. 10, Turning Point says it has obtained extra than 120,000 requests for new chapters at faculty and highschool campuses, and a rotating checklist of conservative influencers and politicians – equivalent to Gov. Youngkin and podcaster Megyn Kelly right here at Virginia Tech – like signed up to customer host the 9 final tour stops over the next two months.
“There’s a big ecosystem of folk that are corresponding to Kirk and may maybe maybe well decide up the put he left off,” says a GOP operative, who requested anonymity to discuss freely. “There will seemingly be a complete vary of folk that enter the self-discipline over the next couple of months who may maybe maybe well additionally like honest as worthy impact.”
Myth Hinckley/The Christian Science Monitor
Attendees browse tables of flyers and Turning Point USA offers after paying attention to Megyn Kelly and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin at Virginia Tech University, Sept. 24, 2025.
But when Ms. Kelly opened up the room for questions, it became positive that Mr. Kirk’s faculty tours – or no lower than this one – wouldn’t exist in the methodology they’d earlier than.
All nonetheless two of the 25 questions like been requested by fellow conservatives or, on the very least, followers of Ms. Kelly’s. There wasn’t the form of “proving wrong” that Mr. Kirk made whisk viral in his social media clips. Neither like been there the form of wait on-and-forth conversations between two facets that Mr. Kirk praised. Presumably this changed into once attributable to the trade of location. The dark, sizzling auditorium with layers of security wasn’t as accessible as Mr. Kirk’s old events, when he steadily sat on campus lawns as students walked by. Presumably it changed into once attributable to the headliner. Left-leaning students may maybe maybe well additionally no longer feel the identical contrivance to debating Ms. Kelly as they did Mr. Kirk.
Or most definitely it changed into once attributable to this political moment, all the way through which bitter partisanship and accusations like sharpened after Mr. Kirk’s loss of life, raising questions about whether or no longer there’s an appetite for the identical kind of strong debates that he championed.
In must engaging moments, the target audience supplied largely conservative-friendly questions, equivalent to: How worthy impact does Israel like on our politics? What’s your Starbucks expose? How can I coexist with liberals as a conservative Christian?
A version of this final question changed into once requested diverse occasions.
“I don’t contemplate you ought to level-headed discuss about politics,” mentioned Ms. Kelly, telling the target audience a story about how she takes an annual outing with two girlfriends, one liberal and one self reliant. The outing works for them because of they don’t discuss politics. “Except you genuinely, genuinely love each assorted and feel be pleased it’s safe to are attempting. … But there’s no reason to open up debating, I contemplate, folk with whom you most definitely can additionally like got diametrically adverse views.”
To Mr. Kirk, however, that changed into once precisely the point, as highlighted by diverse clips stitched together for a memorial video performed on the open up of the match.
“The braveness and inspiration we’ve gotten from this moment, it’s going to inspire tons of assorted future Charlie Kirks,” says Ariel Schlosser, a senior at Virginia Tech. “Presumably this may maybe maybe well additionally additionally be ample if all of us carry out our phase to protect the circulation going.”
Bigger than a dozen students interviewed by the Monitor earlier than the match shared the same sentiments: No one person may maybe maybe well additionally or ought to level-headed change Mr. Kirk. But maybe remembering him may maybe maybe be ample.
“I are looking for to carry on his legacy,” mentioned Whisk Wampler, who started a Turning Point chapter at his highschool in southwest Virginia three days after Mr. Kirk changed into once killed. “I contemplate he’s going to salvage changed by a circulation and no longer a singular person.”
But when there may maybe be a singular successor to Mr. Kirk at this moment it’s seemingly his wife, Erika, who changed into once no longer too long ago appointed chief govt and board chair of Turning Point USA. Her message of forgiveness at a memorial carrier for her husband this past weekend drew bipartisan reward.
On a most recent episode of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” Mr. Kirk’s chief of staff, Mikey McCoy, mentioned he spoke with Ms. Kirk no longer too long ago about how they’ll additionally “continue Charlie’s legacy” and “genuinely 10x this organization,” and that he obtained emotional because of it felt be pleased he changed into once talking to Mr. Kirk himself.
“She knew all the pieces,” mentioned Mr. McCoy. “From the methodology she texts to the methodology she talks, I will confidently bellow that I like be pleased it’s Charlie level-headed leading this organization.”
