When Minnesota state Rep. Elliott Engen was a student at Hamline University, he often carried a table that he set up around the St. Paul campus to hold political conversations.
Engen said he modeled his discussions after Charlie Kirk, who became well-known for bringing his conservative message to college campuses and engaging with people who disagreed with him.
“It was scary the first couple times,” Engen said. “But after watching videos of him doing it, I thought if I was knowledgeable enough, why couldn’t I do it and stand up for what I believe in?”
Kirk, founder of the political advocacy organization Turning Point USA, was shot and killed Sept. 10 while he spoke at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. On Sunday, thousands of mourners, including President Donald Trump, paid tribute to Kirk at a memorial at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Kirk built his youth-focused organization into a media and messaging powerhouse within Trump’s MAGA movement. He was a skilled provocateur and often slammed for statements his critics called anti-immigrant, racist, misogynistic and transphobic.
Conservatives say such critics are cherry-picking statements.
To Engen, and many like him, Kirk was someone to idolize.
“He was the voice of a generation, somebody who showed our generation that you can speak up for what you believe in,” Engen said Sunday.
