The House vote to honor slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week revealed not only a sharp partisan divide but also deep tensions within the Democratic Party itself.
On Friday, every Republican supported a resolution condemning Kirk’s assassination and recognizing his contributions, while 58 Democrats voted against it. Another 38 Democrats voted “present,” and 22 declined to cast a vote.
The measure, which described politically motivated violence as “antithetical to the principles of a free republic,” was adopted with bipartisan support despite the sizable bloc of Democratic opposition.
Representative Jasmine Crockett, Democrat of Texas, took to CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday to defend her decision. She said she was anguished that opposition to the resolution was overwhelmingly led by lawmakers of color, with white Democrats largely staying silent.
“One of the things I do want to point out that’s not been laid out, that honestly hurts my heart, is when I saw the no votes, there were only two caucasians,” Crockett said. “For the most part, the only people that voted no were people of color.”
Crockett argued that Kirk’s rhetoric “specifically targeted people of color,” which she said justified her refusal to back the resolution. “Because the rhetoric that Charlie Kirk continuously put out there was rhetoric that specifically targeted people of color,” she added. “And so it is unfortunate that even our colleagues could not see how harmful his rhetoric was, specifically to us.”
House Democratic leaders, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, voted in favor of the resolution, though they notably refrained from issuing formal guidance to their members. Axios reported that leadership had voiced support in a closed-door meeting but left the vote up to individual lawmakers.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York was among those who joined Crockett in opposing the measure. In floor remarks, she attempted to discredit Kirk’s legacy, declaring, “We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was. A man who believed that the Civil Rights Act that granted black Americans the right to vote was a mistake.” She also accused Kirk of praising Paul Pelosi’s assailant and making antisemitic remarks, charges his defenders say are based on misrepresentations.
“His rhetoric and beliefs were ignorant, uneducated and sought to disenfranchise millions of Americans far from ‘working tirelessly to promote unity’ asserted by the majority in this resolution,” Ocasio-Cortez added.
Despite such attacks, the Senate passed its own resolution honoring Kirk by unanimous consent, and approved an additional measure to create a “National Day of Remembrance” in his name. October 14, his birthday, will now be commemorated annually.
Kirk, the 30-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated on September 10 while addressing a packed audience at Utah Valley University. Authorities have charged Tyler Robinson with aggravated murder. Kirk leaves behind a widow and two young children.
For conservatives, the overwhelming Democratic resistance to even symbolic recognition of Kirk reflects the partisan hostility toward voices on the right.
Several liberal outlets have already been accused of circulating false claims about the activist, compounding the bitterness around his death.
At a moment meant to unite lawmakers in mourning the violent killing of a young father, the divide underscored just how difficult even basic gestures of civility have become in Washington.
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