Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk’s murder may have happened on the campus of a Utah college on Wednesday, but the reverberations from his death were felt in New Hampshire. And, activists say, those effects could be felt in the 2026 elections as well.
Granite State political leaders from both sides of the aisle reacted with sorrow and anger to the horrific scene of the 31-year-old husband and father being struck down by an assassin’s bullet at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
“The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk today deeply saddens me,” said Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.). “It is the opposite of what we stand for and what America is all about. We must recognize that what unites us is far greater than what divides us, and we must come together to turn down the temperature on our disagreements.“
Ayotte has ordered all flags on public buildings and grounds in New Hampshire to remain at half-staff following the remembrance of Sept. 11 until sunset on Sunday.
The four members of New Hampshire’s all-Democrat delegation each released statements condemning the attack.
“This is horrifying news. We cannot tolerate or normalize political violence in America, and I strongly condemn this heinous act,” said Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.).
Kirk, founder of the influential Turning Point USA grassroots activist organization, was scheduled to appear at an event in Hanover organized by the Dartmouth Political Union (DPU).
“We are horrified and heartbroken to hear that Charlie Kirk was shot and killed at Utah Valley University today. We cannot begin to imagine what his family is going through,” said DPU President Malcolm “Mac” Mahoney.
“Yesterday, Charlie posted a video on YouTube discussing the importance of civil discourse as a means to prevent political violence. Now, more than ever, it’s important that despite our differences, we can see the humanity in those across the aisle. Political violence will never be the answer to political disagreement. When we disagree, we must engage in discourse.”
Engagement is the core mission of TPUSA, which has been active in New Hampshire in the past and was already gearing up to organize GOP voters in 2026 and beyond. State Rep. Lisa Mazur (R-Goffstown), a Turning Point Action field rep, declined to comment about the assassination or the implications for TPUSA.
“Our whole team is just completely gutted,” Mazur said. “Praying for his beautiful family.”
Not everyone was embracing bipartisanship, however.
While U.S. Sen. Liz Warren (D-Mass.) posted that the shooting “is nothing short of horrific,” one of her prominent former campaign activists was on social media celebrating Kirk’s death.
Calla Walsh, who led the pro-Palestinian assault on Elbit Systems in Merrimack, N.H., just weeks after the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023, posted “Thoughts and prayers for the bullet.”
And President Donald Trump also offered a partisan take in a video from the Oval Office released Wednesday night.
“From the attack on my life in Butler, Pa., last year, which killed a husband and father, to the attacks on ICE agents, to the vicious murder of a healthcare executive in the streets of New York, to the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and three others, radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives,” Trump said.
Warren also reverted to form. When asked if progressives need to lower the temperature of their rhetoric targeting Republicans, the Massachusetts Democrat told reporters, “Oh, please. Why don’t you start with the president of the United States?”
State Senate President Sharon Carson praised Kirk’s willingness to debate those who disagreed with him.
“Charlie often said at the start of his events, ‘If you disagree with me, please come to the front.’ He invited dissent and encouraged all to disagree without being disagreeable,” Carson said.
“Charlie often urged students to stand up for their ideas with courage and to answer arguments with argument, not anger. The way we honor that legacy is to reject violence, protect free expression, and meet one another in the arena of ideas.”
And former New Hampshire Speaker of the House Bill O’Brien urged Granite Staters to set aside “anger and blame. Instead, it is a time for quiet reflection, for prayer, and for remembering the good Charlie Kirk brought into the public square.
“For the countless young people who looked to Charlie for inspiration and guidance, may his life continue to serve as an example: not one of bitterness, but of faith, conviction, and purpose,” O’Brien added.
