Inside Charlie Kirks effort to develop the next generation of conservative voices

When Charlie Kirk was assassinated at 31, he left behind an organization that had helped young conservatives find their voices and, for some, launch careers in media and activism. One year later, those who worked closely with him say they are carrying forward the model he built, continuing to recruit and mentor college students and young activists.

"I don't think anybody can replace Charlie," Turning Point USA chief of staff Michael McCoy, who also worked as Kirk's chief of staff, told Fox News Digital. "I think there's a massive void that was left behind in his absence."

Kirk was shot and killed while holding an event at Utah Valley University. The TPUSA founder and CEO was known for his "Prove Me Wrong" events, during which he would invite people to debate him and ask questions. His Sept. 10, 2025, event where he was murdered was part of his "American Comeback Tour."

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Prior to Kirk's assassination, TPUSA had 410 college chapters registered for the 2025-2026 school year. After Kirk was murdered, that number grew to 1,095. The organization also saw its Club America chapters, aimed at high schoolers, grow substantially. Before Sept. 10, 2025, there were 454 Club America chapters, and after Kirk's assassination, the number grew to 3,102. The growth in the organization exemplified one of Kirk's main goals, which was to develop young conservative voices.

"The Charlie Kirk Show" executive producer Andrew Kolvet remembered Kirk as being "intentional" when building a bench of activists.

"He wanted to use that as sort of like the farm system for voices that could find their footing, find their way, and really, the cream would rise to the top," Kolvet told Fox News Digital.

Kolvet pointed to Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., and former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt as examples of Turning Point alumni who went on to hold high-profile public roles.

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Isabel Brown, a former Turning Point USA staffer who now hosts "The Isabel Brown Show" at The Daily Wire, said Kirk helped steer her from a planned career as a trauma surgeon toward activism and conservative media.

Brown first encountered Turning Point as a college student and later helped Kirk plan an event at Colorado State University, her alma mater, an experience that cemented her interest in the work.

"I was having so much darn fun planning this event and many others that we would go on to put on for our campus that Charlie said, I don't think you're meant to work in a fluorescently lit hospital for the rest of your life. I think you are supposed to do something a little bit different," Brown recalled.

Brown went on to work for TPUSA, becoming one of the young conservative media voices shaped by Kirks organization.

Brown's experiences with Kirk in the early days of TPUSA reflected his approach to young conservatives, according to those who worked with him. Rather than simply looking to build an audience for the sake of having one, they said, Kirk sought out students individually and encouraged those in whom he saw potential.

"He was not just trying to gain a whole swath of numbers of college students or build this 30,000-foot-scale