Turning Point USA Rallies Women After Charlie Kirk’s Death

After the September assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA announced a new focus on young women.

A Moment of Change

Camdyn Glover, an 18‑year‑old student at Indiana University, said the news changed her. She cried in a classroom while classmates cheered. “We can’t be silenced,” she decided, a sentiment that led her to attend the first Turning Point conference since Kirk’s death.

Phoenix Conference

Glover traveled with her parents and brothers to Phoenix for the event. The conference, hosted by Turning Point USA, marked a new chapter for the organization. It is the first gathering after Kirk’s assassination, and it has drawn a large turnout of students and supporters.

Turning Point’s Shift

The organization, once known for its masculine appeal to college men, is now expanding outreach to young women. This pivot is especially significant as Erika Kirk, Charlie’s widow, takes the helm. Erika has embraced her new role, leading a conservative juggernaut with chapters nationwide.

Erika Kirk’s Vision

Erika Kirk, a former beauty‑pageant winner, model, actress, and casting director, founded a Christian clothing line and a ministry that teaches about the Bible. In a recent interview with The New York Times, she said she had fully bought into “boss‑babe” culture before Charlie showed her a “healthier” perspective on life.

She now leads a multimillion‑dollar organization. At a memorial for her husband, Erika said Turning Point would be “10 times greater through the power of his memory.”

Glover’s New Voice

Discovering Turning Point in high school gave Glover an appreciation for dialogue. She felt isolated for her anti‑abortion beliefs. At her first conference, she felt she had found a political and cultural home.

“They want to promote a strong independent woman who does hold these values and can go stand up for herself,” Glover said. “But it’s also OK to do it in heels, put some makeup on, wear a dress.”

Stella Ross and the Influence of Erika

Stella Ross, a classmate of Glover’s, found Charlie Kirk on TikTok before the last presidential election. She felt her perspectives were treated differently on campus and believed she received unfairly low grades in political science.

A devout Catholic, Ross was inspired by Kirk’s willingness to weave evangelical faith into his arguments. She noted many women posted appreciation on Erika Kirk’s videos and joined Indiana University’s Turning Point chapter the same month Trump won his comeback campaign.

“I was like, wow, if Erika can do it, I can do it,” Ross said.

Aspirations and Values

Ross interns with Indiana’s Republican Party and aspires to be a press secretary for a governor or president. She hopes to balance work with family, believing a traditional nuclear structure—man, woman, children—is “God’s plan.”

When she thinks of Erika Kirk, Ross says, “it’s really cool to see that she can live out that balance and it makes me feel like that could be a more realistic future for me because I’m seeing it firsthand.”

Diverging Opinions

Not all conservative women agree with Turning Point’s emphasis on traditional roles. Raquel Debono, an influencer in New York City, described the event as a “Stepford wives conference,” featuring women in pink floral dresses.

She said Turning Point’s focus on being traditional wives “leaves out a lot of women who work,” and that the organization could lose voters in the next election cycle if it continues this approach.

Debono founded her own organization, Make America Hot Again, which hosts parties to welcome voters into the conservative movement.

Political Context

A recent Gallup analysis showed women under 30 are more likely to identify as ideologically liberal and hold liberal views on abortion, the environment, and gun laws. The schism was evident in the last presidential election, where 57% of male voters under 30 supported Trump compared to only 41% of women under 30, according to AP VoteCast.

Turning Point has been working to change that divide, hosting events like the Young Women’s Leadership Summit and urging attendees to embrace traditional family values and gender roles.

Leadership Perspectives

Charlie Kirk said earlier this year that if a young woman’s priority is to find a husband, she should pursue a “MRS degree” in college. Matthew Boedy, a professor of rhetoric at the University of North Georgia, said Erika Kirk could be a more effective messenger because she was focused on her career before meeting her husband.

“I do think her story resonates more because she tried it out and can tell them it is not for them,” Boedy said.

Growth After the Tragedy

Aubree Hudson, president of Turning Point’s chapter at Brigham Young University, visited Utah Valley University for an event with Charlie Kirk. She was standing about six feet away when he was fatally shot.

Hudson, 22, comes from a rural farm town in southwestern Colorado. Her family values the Constitution, God, and country in that order. Since Kirk’s assassination, Hudson said the number of people—particularly women—joining the organization jumped “big time.”

Emma Paskett, 18, planned to attend the Utah Valley University event but Kirk was shot before she could get there. She started watching Kirk’s videos that night and sees Erika as a “one in a million” role model.

“That’s exactly what I want to be like,” Paskett said.

Closing Thoughts

Turning Point USA’s shift toward engaging young women comes amid a broader political gap between men and women under 30. With Erika Kirk at the helm, the organization aims to broaden its reach and reshape the conservative narrative for a new generation.

The organization’s future success will depend on how it balances traditional values with the diverse aspirations of its growing membership.

Key Takeaways

• Turning Point USA, led by Erika Kirk, is actively recruiting young women after Charlie Kirk’s death.
• 18‑year‑old Camdyn Glover and other students find a new voice and community at the Phoenix conference.
• The organization faces both support and criticism for its emphasis on traditional gender roles.

The conference marks a pivotal moment for Turning Point USA as it navigates a changing political landscape and seeks to broaden its influence among young conservatives.