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A candlelight vigil at Desert Financial Arena on Arizona State University’s campus on Monday highlighted Charlie Kirk’s legacy, as the campus is just miles from Turning Point USA’s headquarters.
Volunteers sported “I am Charlie” t-shirts as many attendees wore red, including MAGA hats, to show their support for the slain conservative leader.
The speakers used the moment to channel the tragedy into activism and share the Christian faith, including many of his close friends and colleagues.
“2026 is going to be the Charlie Kirk election. 2028 will be the Kirk-Vance election,” Tyler Bowyer, who runs Turning Point Action, said, as volunteers were registering voters at the events. Bowyer encouraged people to use the tragedy as an opportunity to get active in the conservative movement, specifically calling on people to register to vote.
Peter Gentala, President, Center for Arizona Policy, said it’s “personal” when a “great man dies,” speaking highly of the influence Kirk had in the Grand Canyon State and the nation.
At times, the attendees chanted “Charlie” and “USA” during the vigil organized by Arizona State University’s College Republicans chapter and TPUSA.
“Act. Starting a Turning Point chapter, get involved in a Turning Point chapter, register to vote, register other people to vote, and share your faith with others,” Troy Holderby, President of ASU College Republicans, told Fox News Digital.
“This is gonna be a game changer for our entire country. We’re gonna see substantial amounts of people coming to vote for our country, because Charlie Kirk cared about that,” he said.
Luke Mosiman, chairman of Arizona Young Republicans, told Fox News Digital, said this tragedy could be a defining moment for Generation Z, as Kirk held a strong influence among young Americans.
“So many people are looking at this right now, and they’re realizing that American culture and the left as a whole has rotted America’s ability to have a dialogue, and I think Gen Z will hold strong to the ideas of the First Amendment,” he added.
Following Kirk’s assassination on Wednesday, his casket was flown on Air Force Two to Phoenix, where a large celebration of life service is slated for Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Bowyer posted to X on Tuesday that voter registration efforts will be underway at Sunday’s event.
“County Recorder [Justin Heap] is providing as many Voter Registration forms as humanly printable and possible for Charlie’s celebration of life this Sunday. We anticipate tens of thousands of new voters will register this week in AZ and across the country in CK’s honor,” Bowyer wrote.
Large memorial displays have been set up outside the Hansen Mortuary Chapel, where his casket is being held, as well as outside TPUSA’s headquarters in south Phoenix. A 19-year-old man is facing vandalism charges for allegedly trying to destroy the memorial on Sunday, which was seen by Fox News cameras.
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