The House passed a resolution on Friday honoring assassinated right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, with every Republican present supporting the measure and 95 Democrats joining them, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
But the vote put a spotlight on a split within the Democratic Party. Fifty-eight Democrats voted against the resolution and 38 voted present, with many citing Kirk’s past statements and resolution language that praised a man they’ve long criticized over his stances on gun control and rights for LGBTQ+ people and minorities. Twenty-two Democrats didn’t vote at all.
“Our condolences go out to the Kirk family and all that they’ve had to endure. And quite frankly, I can relate to it, because I’ve had people assassinated around me, and certainly throughout all of history, there have been political assassinations,” Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke told NOTUS. “However, I cannot herald this gentleman as a hero. He was a hero to some, but not to all. It was not universal in how this gentleman was viewed, and for many in my constituency, he was an incendiary figure who did not recognize their humanity.”
Many Democrats were intent on sharing a moment of bipartisan grief for the late 31-year-old MAGA influencer, saying that the need to recognize the latest victim of political violence in his death outweighed their grievances with Kirk in his life.
“I did not agree with the components of the resolution that spoke to specifically Charlie Kirk as an individual and his personal beliefs,” Rep. Nikki Budzinski, who voted for the measure, told NOTUS. “What he did in his life and speaking out using really divisive language — harmful, hurtful language about women, African Americans, African American women, the LGBT community — is not OK. But overall, if we want to make progress in this country, we have to start both condemning political violence.”
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was one of the Democrats who didn’t cast a vote on the measure. Pelosi has dealt with political violence: Her husband, Paul, was attacked in 2022 at their home by someone who was looking for her.
“My own family still lives with the trauma of a near-deadly attack on my husband, Paul, in our home by an individual seeking to kidnap me — an act of violence that underscored in the most personal way the escalating threats that public officials and their loved ones endure,” Pelosi said in a statement. “Violence has no place in our political process, in our communities, or in our country.”
Democrats debated the measure behind closed doors Thursday morning, with several lawmakers noting the troubling optics of opposing the resolution, a person in the room told NOTUS. Democratic leaders told rank-and-file members they planned to vote for the measure, opening the door for other lawmakers to support it.
Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said on Friday that their vote “is not an endorsement of the views espoused by Charlie Kirk in any way, shape or form.”
“The assassination of Charlie Kirk was horrifying, completely incompatible with American values and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” they said in a joint statement. “The intense atmosphere of political violence that exists in America is not sustainable, and requires all leaders, regardless of ideology, to bring the country together. The march toward righteous reconciliation will not be easy, but it is a necessary one to prevent America from exploding.”
The measure, which was sponsored by 165 Republicans, called Kirk a “courageous American patriot” who exemplified “the virtues of faith, fidelity, and fatherhood” and championed “life, liberty, limited government, and individual responsibility.”
“Charlie Kirk 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,” the resolution reads.
While plenty of Democrats have challenged that summation of Kirk’s legacy, the resolution also condemned “in the strongest possible terms” political violence, something Democratic leaders were eager to cosign.
“There’s some surplus verbiage in there that we would have left out, but that’s neither here nor there,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, who voted for the resolution. “The basic point is that we all must denounce political violence in every case, wherever it comes from and whoever the victim is.”
Lawmakers are grappling with the charged rhetoric over Kirk’s assassination and political violence, with both parties trading blame over how best to confront a threat that has grown more acute in recent years.
The resolution concludes with a call for “all Americans — regardless of race, party affiliation, or creed — to reject political violence, recommit to respectful debate, uphold American values, and respect one another as fellow Americans.”
Fear of more political violence now hangs over Capitol Hill, where concern for lawmaker safety has ratcheted up since Kirk’s death. Rep. Gabe Vasquez, who voted present, urged a return to “civil dialogue” after the vote.
“This environment that we’re in today threatens the ability for lawmakers to do their jobs, and whether it’s left or right, I don’t care,” Vasquez said. “It’s not the right thing, and we’ve got to return to civil discourse and civil dialogue.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who voted no, told NOTUS that she does not believe “we should devolve to a point in this country where physical threats of physical violence then start to influence legislative outcomes.”
“Yes, we must de-escalate this threat environment, but we also, in my assessment, must refuse to bow to it,” she continued. “Many individuals who voted yes on this, I do not malign my Democratic colleagues for that whatsoever, but for me personally, I cannot live in a place of fear-based decision-making.”
This article has been updated with additional comments and to correct that 22 Democrats did not vote for the measure.