Kaivan Shroff, MSNBC - In the two weeks since Charlie Kirk’s death, most of the conversation has centered on his rhetoric: the viral debate clips, the combative persona and the soundbites that traveled far and wide online. But if we reduce his legacy to style and messaging alone, we miss the bigger picture. Kirk’s most enduring achievement wasn’t what he said — or even his massive digital footprint — it was what he built offline. Through Turning Point USA (TPUSA), Kirk created a lasting political infrastructure for young conservatives all across the country that Democrats have yet to match....
As a former press secretary for Dream for America, an organization created to mobilize young people in direct opposition to TPUSA, I saw firsthand the scale of what Kirk was constructing. That’s why I spent so much time last year sounding the alarm that young American men — particularly high school seniors — were drifting to the right.
Kirk founded TPUSA in 2012 and grew it into a political powerhouse. By 2024, it reported $85 million in revenue, over 9,000 college chapters and 1,100 high school chapters. The organization employs field organizers, trains student activists and runs slick conferences that pipeline young conservatives into the broader Republican movement. This is not a loose collection of social media influencers, but a professionalized, well-funded network designed to last and grow....
The contrast with Democrats could not be starker. The party doesn’t have anything similar to TPUSA in either function or scale.
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