Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas explained Sunday on CNN’s State of the Union that she voted against a House resolution honoring Charlie Kirk after his assassination because she believed his rhetoric repeatedly targeted people of color. Crockett expressed disappointment that among the 58 Democrats who opposed the resolution, only two were white, while the rest were lawmakers of color.
Crockett said from her perspective the resolution was not simply about condemning violence, but also about honoring someone whose public statements had been harmful, especially to minority communities. She said that those voting “no” were primarily people who have historically been affected by the kind of messaging Kirk promoted. For her, the vote was not a denial of condemning his murder, but a refusal to ignore what she described as years of divisive rhetoric.
She emphasized her role as a civil rights attorney and noted how her own journey into Congress was built on the struggle for voices like hers to be heard, to ensure that people of color are not just considered after the fact. Crockett said it “hurts her heart” that some of her white colleagues did not see or acknowledge how dangerous these rhetorical attacks can be.
Crockett also called on fellow lawmakers to recognize how structural and symbolic actions matter. She said resolutions should not feel like superficial tributes that ignore the lived experiences of communities that have already suffered under what she described as harmful language. For her, voting “no” was a form of protest and a way to force accountability for public figures’ rhetoric—not just their deaths.
