Andrew Kolvet reflects on Charlie Kirk's unlikely rise from a broke 18-year-old to building Turning Point USA and transforming the conservative movement.
Page B1From§Eachthe breakfast edition — 10 September 2026
Charlie Kirk’s killing becomes a Republican campaign centerpiece, a campus flashpoint, and a party liability
Charlie Kirk’s murder, now a year past, sits at the center of both conservative grief and campaign strategy. The Utah campus splits over how to memorialize him (member 9), while party insiders and media allies frame his absence as a void that will cost Republicans in the midterms (member 1). The party’s surrogates, like Andrew Kolvet, deliver retrospectives (member 14) insisting Kirk’s legacy is misunderstood, while the movement’s younger cohort navigates a divided post-Kirk landscape (member 15). The right’s press recasts his death as proof that free speech could not save America (member 20), transforming the tragedy into a rallying point and a cautionary tale. The sequence: a murder, a memorial, a split, a campaign pivot. In lieu of flowers, the party asks for your vote—and your patience. The stakes: the movement's soul and the next election.
“When a movement loses a figure like Kirk, the spin machine turns his death into a legend, a wedge, and a warning. The campus fights over the memorial, the party fights over the narrative, and every headline reminds you there's no going back. The stakes are the next election and the movement's soul.”
“We honor Charlie, obviously, but his absence is a rallying point, not a setback. Did I say 'liability'? I meant 'inspiration.' Memorials are divisive, but that's just healthy debate. If you look at the numbers, the numbers don't matter. The party's stronger than ever, except for the polls, but those aren't real.”
The receipts
The university where the conservative activist was shot last year has canceled classes for a memorial. While many students planned to attend, some said they just wanted to move on from the tragedy.
One year after Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10, 2025, the man accused of murdering him has pleaded not guilty and is headed to trial. But another trial has been taking place in American politics since the day Kirk was shot, on whether we still possess the moral and epistemic foundations necessary to overcome […]
“Up and down the list, everything's growing, which is remarkable, and it's a testament to Charlie's legacy and how much he inspired people," Andrew Kolvet of TPUSA told The Post.
The death of Charlie Kirk was seen as a rallying call for young conservatives. One year later, the movement is wrestling with questions about its future.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.