Wisconsin members of Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA mourn founder’s assassination

Wisconsin members of Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA say they’re shocked, saddened and angry following his assassination at a college campus on Wednesday.

Kirk, 31, died after being shot in the neck during a question and answer session at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University.

When University of Wisconsin-Madison junior RJ Hybben heard the news, he told WPR he felt “anger, sadness, confusion.”

“A lot of really strong, raw emotions,” said Hybben, a former president of his campus’s chapter of Turning Point USA.

The group, founded by Kirk in 2012, mobilizes conservatives at high schools and college campuses around the nation. Hybben said he met Kirk in September, during his “You’re Being Brainwashed” speaking tour and was inspired by the campus visit.

“His energy was unmatched,” Hybben said. “His enthusiasm for what he believed in was incredible. And I think especially young men in Gen Z, think they really looked up to him as a person who was unashamed of what he believed in.”

Hybben said he awoke Thursday with feelings of sympathy for Kirk’s wife and two children. He also said he’s “more inspired than ever to get involved politically,” but seeing some on the left celebrating Kirk’s assassination also left him with a sense of fear.

“Frankly, it’s terrifying because as someone that worked for Turning Point Action, that means I’m pretty in agreement with a lot of what Charlie said,” Hybben said. “So, that basically signifies to me that if I got shot working at a political event, they would cheer and they would be happy as well.  So, it’s frankly, very, very scary.”

Hybben referenced chalk drawings stating “Charlie Kirk is Dead” near the Madison campus. One of those had a heart drawn just below.

In a social media post Wednesday night, Brown County Board member and Turning Point Action Field Representative Dixon Wolfe recounted how Kirk “had a way of making politics not just accessible, but fun” when he joined the group in 2023.

“He didn’t treat it like a dull obligation or a distant world reserved for elites—he brought life, energy, and purpose to the conservative movement,” Wolfe said. “He breathed fresh air into a party that desperately needed it, and he did so by rallying young people, people my age, who otherwise might never have felt that their voice mattered.”

Wolfe’s post also spoke of Kirk’s Christian faith, which inspired him to speak his mind and hold firm to his convictions.

“And now, as we grieve his brutal and senseless murder on a college campus, my heart aches with sorrow and righteous anger. It is beyond me how our culture has allowed itself to fall into such radical hate.” said Wolfe.

Wisconsin Assembly holds moment of silence following Kirk assassination

Kirk’s role as a leader within the young conservative movement in America wasn’t without controversy. Democrats often attacked him for his criticisms of the LGBTQ+ community, not to mention his criticisms of diversity, equity and inclusion, known as DEI.

Still, the assassination drew widespread condemnation from both Republican and Democratic legislators in Wisconsin. At the start of a Wisconsin Assembly floor session, Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, led the chamber in a moment of silence for Kirk’s wife, two children “and the millions of people who are mourning this senseless act of political violence.”

“Many see the other party as their mortal enemies out to destroy the country, not just the good hearted political rivals that we should be,” Vos said. “That mindset makes each day a struggle between good and evil, rather than a contest between political ideas, both of which have value. Social media doesn’t help. Mainstream news doesn’t help. These bitter personal battles are wiping away any public displays of bipartisanship, and that’s a huge threat to our democracy and to our future.”

Ahead of the floor session, Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, addressed Kirk’s death and a school shooting in Colorado, news of which broke shortly after the shooting in Utah. Hesselbein said she and colleagues are still saddened about the political assassination of Minnesota state representative Melissa Horton.

“We stand together to condemn this violence wherever it happens, and we promise and pledge, we will work with anyone to stop this from happening again,” Hesselbein said.

GOP Congressman Derrick Van Orden blames Democrats, media for Kirk’s death

Following news of Kirk’s assassination, Republican Congressman Derrick Van Orden, R-Prairie du Chien, posted dozens of times on the social media site X Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. He called several people celebrating Kirk’s death on social media “scum” and repeatedly said “the gloves are off” in response to the posts.

Van Orden accused Democrats and the media of being directly “culpable” in the shooting and claimed the “democratic Party has been fostering, a 21st century Civil War.”

“I would encourage them,” he continued, “look at the results of the last one that they started.”

In response to Van Orden’s repeated comments, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Town of Vermont, said there is no place for political or gun violence, and “Overheated rhetoric hurts us as well.”

“Read his Twitter account,” Pocan said of Van Orden’s X posts. “And ask him to tone it down. It’s crazy.”

During an appearance on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” Republican Party of Wisconsin Chair Brian Schimming said he abhors political violence of all kinds, but videos of Kirk’s assassination spread far and wide on social media “brought it to life.”

“I just encourage the people to debate their views strongly,” Schimming said. “The people are smart. They know how to decide, but we want to make sure they hear both sides. And I think Charlie Kirk was on campus in Utah yesterday to make sure that the conservative movement was felt on that campus, and that conservative views were heard and seen on that campus. And in the case of yesterday, Charlie Kirk paid for it with his life.”