One Year After Kirk's Death, Turning Point USA Faces Internal Splits

A year after Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated in September 2025, the conservative youth organization he built is still shaping young conservative politics, but it is also grappling with internal divisions, according to NPR.

Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, now leads Turning Point USA. NPR spoke with Ali Breland, a writer at The Atlantic who covers the far-right, about the state of the organization one year on.

Breland said Kirk had built an organization with many different factions and areas of influence, and that no one has been able to fully step into the role Kirk played within the movement.

Kirk’s 2024 get-out-the-vote effort focused on low-propensity voters, particularly college-age men, and some observers credit that push with helping Donald Trump win the 2024 election.

Breland pointed to disagreements within the movement, including over Israel policy and over conspiracy theories embraced by some figures. He named Candace Owens specifically, saying he did not believe anyone currently has the standing to check her influence within the movement. These characterizations are Breland’s own analysis, offered to NPR, rather than settled fact.

Breland also cited Florida’s governor’s race as an example of the youth-focused shift he described, saying candidate James Fishback won about 10 percent of the vote overall but led among voters under 34.