Turning Point USA faces uncertainty year after Kirk killing

A year after Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during a campus event in Utah, the conservative youth organization he founded is growing by some measures but struggling, according to some young supporters, to replace the leader who made it a force on the right.

Kirk, 31, was killed on Sept. 10 last year at Utah Valley University, where he was set to take part in one of the live campus debates that helped build his following. A judge in Utah recently cleared the way for the trial of Tyler Robinson, the man accused of shooting him. Robinson denies aggravated murder, a capital offense in the state, and six other charges.

For students who were there, the killing remains vivid. Jeb Jacobi, a third-year Utah Valley student who volunteered at the event, told the BBC he still remembers the echo of the gunshot. “It feels like there’s a forever stain on us here,” he said. “This is where Charlie Kirk was killed.”

Kirk founded Turning Point USA a little more than a decade before his death with the goal of mobilizing young conservatives. By the time he died, he had become a prominent figure in Republican politics, particularly among Generation Z and millennial conservatives. President Donald Trump credited him with helping turn out young men in the last election, and supporters described him as a direct link between younger activists and Republican leaders.

Interest in Turning Point surged immediately after the shooting. Five days after Kirk’s death, a spokesperson posted on X that the group had received “over 32,000 inquiries in the last 48 hours to start new campus chapters.” NPR reported that Turning Point says it saw “unprecedented expansion” in the 2025-2026 school year, with more than 1 million involved students across 3,500 high school clubs and 1,500 college chapters.

Andrew Kolvet, a Turning Point spokesman, told NPR the group is facing “a confluence of challenges” but said “the organization is still growing in nearly every conceivable way,” calling that “a testament to Charlie’s enduring legacy.” The BBC said Turning Point did not respond to its request for comment.

Some students describe a more uncertain picture. Jacobi said the group no longer has the same influence. “It’s not the same organisation,” he told the BBC. “It just doesn’t have the same power, the same impact.”

Dino Fantegrossi, a recent University of Arkansas graduate who led his campus chapter for more than two years, told NPR he broke with Turning Point last spring and started a new group, Young American Revival. “One of the big problems that has happened since Charlie’s death is that I think a lot of the youth have kind of felt lost,” he said.

The BBC reported that one Arkansas chapter changed its name to distance itself from Turning Point, while current members described infighting between more moderate and right-wing factions. NPR reported that policy disputes within the broader Republican coalition, including over Iran and the administration’s relationship with Israel, have also created tension among younger conservatives.

Others say the organization remains strong. Macy Gunnell, 22, started a Turning Point chapter at St. Mary’s College in Indiana after Kirk’s death and is now part of the group’s Pick Up the Mic campaign, which is sending debaters to campuses and high schools. “While there are flying accusations out there that Turning Point is dead, Turning Point’s become something that it never was, Turning Point became everything Charlie hated — that could not be further from the truth,” she told the BBC. “I’m confident that Turning Point’s not going anywhere, and this is quite literally just the beginning.”

Kirk’s campus appearances drew large followings and sharp criticism. Supporters saw his “Prove Me Wrong” events as debates over free speech, free markets and limited government. Critics accused him of using the format to stoke outrage and promote misogyny, racism and homophobia, and NPR reported that he faced pushback for comments disparaging immigrants and transgender people, questioning the qualifications and capabilities of women and Black Americans, amplifying COVID-19 conspiracy theories and falsely claiming the 2020 election was fraudulent.

At Utah Valley, the aftermath remains contentious. Some students have protested a campus memorial to Kirk and tried to stop an anniversary event in his honor. Anthony Shinkle, another student, told the BBC the shooting and its aftermath made some supporters afraid to share their views and pushed others toward more extreme positions. “It really feels like there’s not anyone who can fill his shoes,” he said.

Mark Brewer, chair of the political science department at the University of Maine, told the BBC some loss of momentum is not surprising after the death of a charismatic founder. “The final part of the story hasn’t been written yet,” he said. “So I think a lot will be determined over the next six, 12, 18 months.”