Alex Rouhandeh in Newsweek:
Last year, the Republican Party relied heavily on Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s organizing prowess and influence among young voters to cement a second term for President Donald Trump, making significant gains in the 18–29-year-old vote, according to Pew Research analysis. Narrowing that gap and making other gains on President Joe Biden’s 2020 margins, Trump swept back into the White House. Kirk’s movement and role in narrowing the young voter gap from 30 points in 2016 to just 19 in 2024 has sparked debate over whether the GOP has cemented more broad appeal among young voters, a bloc that has typically been heavily Democratic.
Kirk’s assassination could prove a threat to that trajectory.
While Turning Point maintains a sprawling and active network across America’s college campuses, young conservatives who spoke to Newsweek say the organization operated heavily from the top down and benefited largely from Kirk’s skill and star power. Turning Point’s effectiveness in swaying young voters—particularly young men—now faces questions in the absence of its leader.
More here.
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