Republicans Honor Charlie Kirk at Dallas Convention One Year After Killing

Republicans paused their midterm convention in Dallas on Thursday to remember Charlie Kirk, the Turning Point USA founder who was killed a year ago, as chants of "Charlie, Charlie" rose from the crowd before giving way to silence.

The second night of the convention, typically loud and celebratory, turned somber as a five-minute memorial video played inside the basketball arena. The tribute interrupted a program otherwise dominated by appearances from candidates.

Lucas Miles, a pastor and Turning Point vice president, told the audience that Kirk's voice had not faded in the year since his death. He described something "wonderfully defiant" in its endurance and said the organization's membership and social media reach had grown substantially.

Kirk occupied a distinctive place on the American right. He built a nationwide network of campus chapters, hosted a widely followed podcast and cultivated a devoted base among young Christian conservatives. He also worked as a powerbroker, maintaining ties across the factions that make up Trump's MAGA movement.

He was shot on Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University. Tyler Robinson, 23, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and could face the death penalty if convicted. He turned himself in a day after the shooting.

No single figure has replaced Kirk, and the movement he assembled has been strained by internal disputes over the circumstances of his death. A vocal group led by podcaster Candice Owens has challenged the official account from Utah prosecutors, who say Robinson acted alone. Conspiracy theories have spread online.

From the stage, Miles appeared to acknowledge that friction. "Turning Point is not dead," he said, adding that the organization Kirk founded is still expanding and that a new generation is stepping forward.

Kirk's widow, Erika Kirk, has been named CEO of Turning Point and has taken on some of his public speaking duties. The group has also brought in other commentators to appear at its events and carry on the debates Kirk liked to stage.

Turning Point scheduled a Thursday evening memorial in Orem, Utah, returning to the campus where Kirk was killed. In a news release marking the anniversary, the organization said the weight of his absence has not eased.