House Democrats are privately expressing alarm over the Kirk resolution, a Republican-led measure to honor assassinated conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Some fear the vote could expose divisions within their party, Axios reported Thursday.
“People are worried that we’re being totally set up,” one House Democrat admitted. Lawmakers acknowledged that rejecting the resolution—or even allowing less than unanimous support—could hand Republicans a messaging victory.
The resolution, introduced Tuesday by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and backed by 165 GOP cosponsors, describes Kirk as a “courageous American patriot” who “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.” It is scheduled for a vote this week.
The measure also frames Kirk’s murder as “a sobering reminder of the growing threat posed by political extremism and hatred in our society.”
Despite the House unanimously condemning the shootings of Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota earlier this year, no Democrats have cosponsored the Kirk resolution. Progressive Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) announced she would oppose it, claiming she is “not sure what is honorable” about Kirk.
Still, some Democrats say they will support the resolution. Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz told Axios, “I disagreed with him on a lot of things, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was shot in the neck on live TV in front of his kids and wife. We talk about bringing the temperature down, this is one way to do that.”
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on September 10 during a Utah Valley University event. Police arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said is a proponent of “leftist ideology.”
