This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune.
- Congressman Bennie Thompson says Kirk’s views “resurrected dangerous prejudices of a dark past.”
Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson, a Democrat, was the only member of the state’s federal delegation in the U.S. House of Representatives to vote against a resolution Friday honoring the life of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Kirk was assassinated last week while on a college campus debating public policy issues in Utah. He built Turning Point USA, a grassroots organization that challenged left-leaning ideology with conservative viewpoints, reaching younger voters through his high school and college outreach effots.
Thompson joined 209 of his Democratic colleagues in the House to oppose the resolution honoring Kirk’s life and work.
Mississippi’s other three Congressmen Trent Kelly, Michael Guest and Mike Ezell, all Republicans, supported the resolution along with their 213 other GOP colleagues in the chamber.
In a statement, Thompson said while he condemns “the violent murder” of Kirk, “my deep regret that Mr. Kirk was killed and my respect for his First Amendment right to express himself freely does not make him someone that should be elevated as a role model for the American public.”
Thompson said the resolution would have done just that. He said it was intentionally written to be divisive.
“The fact is Charlie Kirk’s rhetoric was divisive, disparaging, and too often rooted in grievance. The beliefs he evangelized normalized views on race, sex, and immigration,” Thompson added, saying Kirk’s views “resurrected dangerous prejudices of a dark past.”
Thompson said he “could not in good conscience honor someone who demeaned women, immigrants, and Black Americans, and who questioned the very foundation of civil rights progress in this country.”
You Decide
The House resolution reads as follows:
Honoring the life and legacy of Charles ‘‘Charlie’’ James Kirk
Whereas Charles ‘‘Charlie’’ James Kirk, born October 14, 1993, was a courageous American patriot, whose life was tragically and unjustly cut short in an act of political violence on September 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University;
Whereas Charlie Kirk was a devoted Christian, who boldly lived out his faith with conviction, courage, and compassion;
Whereas Charlie Kirk was a dedicated husband to his beloved wife, Erika Kirk, and a loving father to their daughter and son, exemplifying the virtues of faith, fidelity, and fatherhood;
Whereas Charlie Kirk was a fierce defender of the American founding and its timeless principles of life, liberty, limited government, and individual responsibility;
Whereas Charlie Kirk, at 18 years old, founded Turning Point USA in 2012, a student movement with the mission to ‘‘identify, educate, train, and organize students to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets, and limited government’’;
Whereas Charlie Kirk became one of the most prominent voices in America, engaging in respectful, civil discourse across college campuses, media platforms, and national forums, always seeking to elevate truth, foster under standing, and strengthen the Republic;
Whereas Charlie Kirk personified the values of the First Amendment, exercising his God-given right to speak freely, challenge prevailing narratives, and did so with honor, courage, and respect for his fellow Americans;
Whereas Charlie Kirk’s commitment to civil discussion and debate stood as a model for young Americans across the political spectrum, and he worked tirelessly to promote unity without compromising on conviction;
Whereas the assassination of Charlie Kirk was not only a heinous act of violence, but a sobering reminder of the growing threat posed by political extremism and hatred in our society;
Whereas such acts of politically motivated violence are antithetical to the principles of a free republic, in which differences of opinion are to be debated—not silenced—with civility, reason, and mutual respect;
Whereas the rise in targeted violence against individuals for their political beliefs undermines the very fabric of our constitutional democracy and chills the free exchange of ideas essential to a healthy civic society;
Whereas leaders at every level—government, education, media, and beyond—must stand united in unequivocal condemnation of political violence, regardless of their ideology;
Whereas the tragic loss of Charlie Kirk must not be allowed to deepen the divides in our Nation, but instead serve as a turning point to recommit ourselves to better angels, and to the timeless American principles of liberty governed by truth and the virtues of peaceful dialogue; and
Whereas Charlie Kirk would not have us respond to his death with despair, but rather with renewed purpose—to speak truth with courage, to stand firm in faith, to seek unity while standing firm in principle, and to serve as living reminders of the values he championed: faith, family, and freedom:
Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) condemns in the strongest possible terms the assassination of Charles ‘‘Charlie’’ James Kirk,
and all forms of political violence;
(2) commends and honors the dedicated law enforcement and emergency personnel for their tireless efforts in finding the suspect responsible for the assassination of Charlie Kirk and urges the administration of swift justice to the suspect;
(3) extends its deepest condolences and sympathies to Charlie Kirk’s family, including his wife,
Erika, and their two young children, and prays for comfort, peace, and healing in this time of unspeakable loss;
(4) honors the life, leadership, and legacy of Charlie Kirk, whose steadfast dedication to the Con
stitution, civil discourse, and Biblical truth inspired a generation to cherish and defend the blessings of liberty; and
(5) calls upon all Americans—regardless of race, party affiliation, or creed—to reject political violence, recommit to respectful debate, uphold American values, and respect one another as fellow Americans.
A full copy of the resolution can be read here.
This article first appeared on the Magnolia Tribune and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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