Charlie Kirk remembered as the Republican ‘voice of a generation’ as U plans to host sold-out event

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.

Engen, who represents parts of Anoka and Ramsey counties in the Legislature, founded Hamline’s Turning Point chapter in 2020. That was also the first year he ran for the state House.

While he was unsuccessful in that race, Engen said Kirk inspired him to continue to share his voice and views.

Engen ran again in 2022 and won, becoming the first Gen Z Republican elected to the Legislature. He is now 26.

Engen said he and Kirk met a few times, including in 2019 at Turning Point’s Student Action Summit in West Palm Beach, Fla. He said Kirk knew up-and-coming Republicans, even from afar.

“You never had to reintroduce yourself; he knew who you were,” Engen said. “He cared about the people that he was working alongside.”

The sold-out event will still take place. Conservative commentator Michael Knowles will take the stage by himself at the University of Minnesota’s Northrop auditorium in Minneapolis.

Registration is required to attend. The venue will be closed for the day leading up to the event.

Engen planned to attend, but he said Sunday that he was still waiting on security details. He said he hoped other attendees would come prepared to continue political dialogue.

Now that Kirk is gone, Engen said, he and Republicans like himself must maintain the slain activist’s legacy.

“Somebody tried taking away Charlie Kirk’s voice that day, and what they didn’t recognize is that a single bullet can’t kill a movement,” Engen said.