Gabrielle Russon
Influential Democrats are condemning political violence and voicing outrage after the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Several Democratic leaders swiftly issued statements, joining Republicans in expressing their horror at Kirk’s death and offering their sympathy to his family.
Kirk, the CEO of the youth organization Turning Point USA and a close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed at Utah Valley University.
“The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible. In the United States of America, we must reject political violence in EVERY form,” wrote California Gov. Gavin Newsom, normally a Trump antagonist, on X.
Former President Barack Obama shared a similar sentiment on X. “We don’t yet know what motivated the person who shot and killed Charlie Kirk, but this kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy. Michelle and I will be praying for Charlie’s family tonight, especially his wife Erika and their two young children.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris also issued a stark statement on X. “Let me be clear: Political violence has no place in America. I condemn this act, and we all must work together to ensure this does not lead to more violence.”
U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, an Orlando Democrat who has campaigned against gun violence, called Kirk’s shooting “nothing short of horrific.”
“Charlie Kirk, UVU students, and every single person deserves to be safe from gun violence no matter where they are in our country or what their political beliefs are,” Frost wrote on X.
Former U.S. Rep Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt, said hearing the news of Kirk’s murder “breaks my heart.”
“Attacks against political or ideological opponents are cowardly and un-American, and must be universally condemned,” Giffords wrote on X, urging Congress to take action. “Democratic societies will always have political disagreements, but we must never allow America to become a country that confronts those disagreements with violence.”
Meanwhile the Florida delegation and other political leaders from the Sunshine State are also mourning the loss of Kirk and reflecting on his legacy.
“Charlie would go to college campuses and he would articulate views that were very much outside of what most of the professors were offering or what the campus culture was offering. And the way to do that is to ask questions, debate,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said before the start of his regular remarks at a Wednesday press conference.
