“For many, Charlie Kirk’s assassination is the fall of a conservative icon. For me, it is the loss of the man who gave me purpose.”
That’s how high school student Gregory Lyakhov describes Charlie Kirk’s impact on his life in The Wall Street Journal.
And he’s not alone. Across the Keystone State, young people are reacting with sorrow and anger to the assassination of Kirk, gunned down at a campus event in Utah on Wednesday.
Kirk and his Turning Point USA (TPUSA) inspired many college-age voters, especially men, to identify with the Republican Party and embrace conservative causes. According to the organization, TPUSA has a presence on more than 3,000 high school and college campuses and approximately 650,000 “lifetime student members.”
Matthew Thompson, 25, is chairman of the Chester County Young Republicans. He calls Kirk a “pivotal voice.”
“He was dedicated to empowering young leaders, advancing principles of freedom and limited government. And he’s had a lasting impact on our generation.”
When Thompson was a student at Penn State in 2020, Trump supporters were fearful to admit they were voting for Trump. It was the year of COVID and the George Floyd riots.
“It was not fun being a Trump supporter,” he said. But by 2024, the zeitgeist was different, in part thanks to Kirk.
“The vibes changed where it actually felt kind of cool to be a Trump supporter,” Thompson said. Turning Point held an event at West Chester University last year where 1,500 to 2,000 people came to hear Kirk speak, he said.
Kirk’s rallies across the U.S. and campus organizing are why political professionals credit Kirk and TPUSA with the fact that more than half of men under 30 supported Trump in 2024, according to AP VoteCast. Joe Biden won a similar share of those male voters four years earlier.
“Charlie Kirk’s life’s work was to share conservative ideas and encourage debate on college campuses; to challenge the traditional progressive mindset—often the only ideology preached on campuses,” said Guy Ciarrocchi, senior fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation and a Chester County resident.
“He not only laid that foundation, he gave conservative students the courage to speak out effectively, and to become activists. Part of his good works led to Trump’s win in Pennsylvania.”
But for many Kirk supporters, the impact of his death isn’t political, it’s personal.
“I feel very upset and angry right now,” said Jacob Veksler, 20, a West Chester University student from Lower Merion.
“Even if I did not agree with him on every policy, he was an inspiration to millions of young conservative men who saw him as a voice for the voiceless.”
And while the assassin may have thought he was silencing Kirk, ironically, algorithms on Facebook and other social media are now bombarding viewers, including Democrats and independents, with Kirk’s videos. And his many admirers vow to continue his mission.
“No one has been more involved with getting young people into politics like he did,” said Giuseppe Schiano Di Cola, chairman of the Pennsylvania High School Republicans. “I’ve never seen more people my age post about the sudden death of a person. Even people who didn’t enjoy politics said he influenced them greatly, and to see so many of my friends posting about how horrible his death is made me feel proud for what Charlie did.
“Whether he realized it or not, he affected all the youth in this amazing country,” the North Penn High School student said.
Hatfield Township resident Ash Barwis, a freshman at West Virginia University, called Kirk’s death “truly devastating.”
“Charlie was such a good man who stood up for what he believed and played such an influential part in the young population,” said Barwis. “He was a voice for the voiceless and a true American patriot. It’s disappointing that this much of a divide throughout our country has led to this hostile behavior toward individuals who simply have different opinions and political standpoints.”
Sonora Rooney, 28, who lives in Abington when she’s not crewing aboard a cargo ship in the Great Lakes, knows Kirk through his videos and social media posts.
“What I really liked about him was his willingness to speak to young people,” said Rooney. “Because young people are where it’s important to make a difference. And he not only spoke to them, but he would listen to them and give them room to think about their own opinions. And sometimes, in certain instances, they don’t have opinions. They’re just (parroting) what they’ve been told.”
When Rooney learned that Kirk was murdered, she “was so shocked I literally dropped what I was holding because, I mean, it makes sense people would be upset with Trump … but Charlie Kirk was an all-around amazing person who loved God, and he was wholesome and kind and gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. So, that was incredibly shocking and heartbreaking.”
What’s even worse for her has been seeing some reactions in the media and on social media.
“There are people celebrating, which is sickening,” said Rooney.
Veksler said he hopes Kirk’s murder will change how people who disagree with Republicans and conservatives talk about them.
“I hope leaders in the Democratic Party will recognize that the continued name-calling of people with conservative values—Nazis, fascists, racists, etc.—has to stop.”