Maine Senate Democrats on Thursday rejected a resolution honoring the legacy of Charlie Kirk, the conservative influencer who was shot and killed while speaking at a college campus in Utah last year.
While Republicans introduced the statement to pay tribute to his life and work, a Democratic lawmaker highlighted several of Kirk’s discriminatory statements and positions.
The resolution which was read and adopted by the Maine House of Representatives last month, highlighted Kirk’s commitment to his faith, his founding of the controversial right-wing organization Turning Point USA, and the work that he became known for engaging college students in political conversations.
The resolution text also condemned Kirk’s assassination, extended condolences to his family, called upon all Americans to reject political violence and honored his life, faith, leadership and legacy.
Speaking on the floor, Republican Minority Leader Sen. Trey Stewart of Aroostook County, one of the resolution’s several co-sponsors, highlighted Kirk’s commitment to his faith and how he was unafraid of debate and discourse.
“I hope that we can all live a life that impacts people in the ways that his did. I hope that we can all speak truth even when it’s inconvenient. I hope that we can all be unashamed of what we believe,” Stewart said, “and I hope that we can all understand how much of a tragedy that is when somebody does lose their life to political violence, whether it’s on the right or on the left, we all need to be united around that if nothing else.”
In response, Sen. Jill Duson, a Democrat representing Cumberland County, read a statement that U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke — who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus — made in response to a congressional resolution following his killing. Clarke’s statement highlighted some of Kirk’s positions, including that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a mistake; his denial of the existence of systemic racism; his promotion of the conspiracy theories that claim white European populations are being deliberately replaced by non-white immigrants; and his claims that Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Michelle Obama and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee lack adequate cognitive ability.
“The resolution introduced in the House to honor Charlie Kirk’s legacy is not about healing, lowering the temperature of our political discourse, or even ensuring the safety of members of Congress, staff, and Capitol personnel,” continued Duson, reading Clarke’s statement into the legislative record. “It is, unfortunately, an attempt to legitimize Kirk’s worldview — a worldview that includes ideas many Americans find racist, harmful, and fundamentally un-American.”
After the resolution was initially passed under the hammer, a motion to reconsider was introduced and Duson asked the body to indefinitely postpone the measure, to the dismay of several Republicans.
Speaking ahead of the final 18-15 vote, Sen. Jeff Timberlake of Androscoggin County called the motion to indefinitely postpone “a pretty black eye on where we stand as people.”