Inside Charlie Kirk’s effort to develop the next generation of conservative voices
Turning Point USA Expands After Founder’s Tragic Death, Students Say They’ll Carry On His Legacy
A month after the murder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder and CEO Charlie Kirk, the organization has grown to nearly 1,100 college chapters and over 3,000 high‑school “Club America” chapters—more than double the numbers it had just a year earlier. Former staff and activists say they are continuing the model Kirk built for recruiting and mentoring young conservatives, even as the group grapples with the void left by the 31‑year‑old’s death.
Kirk was shot to death on September 10, 2025, while holding a “Prove Me Wrong” event at Utah Valley University as part of his “American Comeback Tour.” The shooting left the conservative movement stunned; the city of Orem, Utah, is still searching for the suspect, who has been named Tyler Robinson, a 29‑year‑old who allegedly was “arrested on suspicion of first‑degree murder.”
Michael McCoy, TPUSA’s chief of staff and former chief of staff to Kirk, told reporters, “I don’t think anybody can replace Charlie. I think there’s a massive void that was left behind in his absence.” The former executive, who was a Gen‑Z leader himself, said that the key to Kirk’s reach among young people was his authenticity and consistency. “Gen Z can sniff out who’s being authentic and who isn’t,” McCoy said. “Charlie showed up with a message that he knew young people ought to hear, not that we wanted to hear often, and he was rewarded for it.”
The organization’s rapid growth illustrates Kirk’s core mission: to develop new voices on college campuses. Prior to his death, TPUSA had 410 college chapters registered for the 2025‑2026 school year. That number climbed to 1,095 after September 2025, a jump of 685 chapters in just one month. The high‑school arm, Club America, swelled from 454 chapters to 3,102 in the same period.
“We’re not just building a numbers game,” former TPUSA staffer Isabel Brown, now host of “The Isabel Brown Show” on The Daily Wire, said. “Kirk was looking at the individual student sitting in front of him. He wanted to help people find a voice, not just a large audience.” Brown, who had originally planned a career as a trauma surgeon, was drawn into activism after helping Kirk plan an event at Colorado State University—her alma mater—and said, “Charlie said, ‘I don’t think you’re meant to work in a fluorescent‑lit hospital for the rest of your life. I think you are supposed to do something a little bit different.’”
Executive producer Andrew Kolvet of “The Charlie Kirk Show” said that Kirk intentionally built a “bench of activists” who could grow into “the cream that rises to the top.” Kolvet cited former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida as examples of TPUSA alumni who moved on to public office. “He wanted to use that as sort of a farm system for voices that could find their footing and find their way,” Kolvet told reporters.
Kolvet also emphasized Kirk’s refusal to pander to pop‑culture trends, noting that “he was just himself.” Producer Blake Neff added that Kirk’s online influence was a side effect of his real‑world engagement. “He was not obsessed with what was getting views,” Neff said. “He was a social‑media celebrity, but he was not a social‑media inhabitant.” He described Kirk’s frequent visits to college campuses and meetings with voters and donors as evidence that the leader was “in the real world.”
The expansion of TPUSA has not gone unnoticed among the students who first met Kirk. Many report that they model their activism after his style—bold, direct, unfiltered. “He was so bold. He was a lion for the Christian faith. He held nothing back. He didn’t mince words. He didn’t cower,” Kolvet recalled. “He would go full‑bore right into the fray, into places where we were not wanted.” Students, according to McCoy, continue to emulate Kirk’s approach by setting up tables, handing out stickers, and engaging in debate on campuses, thereby extending the “American Comeback” to a new generation.
As TPUSA navigates the loss of its charismatic founder, the organization’s rapid growth signals a continued hunger for conservative leadership among young Americans. Whether the new chapters will sustain the same intensity as Kirk’s events remains to be seen, but for many former staff and students, the mission he set in motion—providing a platform for young conservatives—continues to be a guiding principle.