Charlie Kirk was a fellow happy warrior for the America First agenda. He was a soldier for God who defended traditional American values, armed only with his faith and a brilliant mind.
Charlie loved our country and recognized at a young age that America was worth fighting for. He represented the very best of us, urging for peaceful dialogue and a civil exchange of ideas. Like myself, and so many conservatives, he knew our country faced an existential crisis; anti-American indoctrination was happening on college campuses across the country, and we needed to act fast. He decided to do something about it.
Through sheer will and determination he mobilized thousands of young people to push back against the radicalization that was happening on campuses. He was a voice for young conservatives at a time when they needed reassurance that Faith, Family, and Freedom still mattered in this country. He inspired millions of young Americans to get off the sidelines and get involved in the political process, leading the next generation of conservatives.
Over the last several days, I’m reminded about why I decided to run for office. I didn’t want to be a part of the generation that lost America, I wanted to be a part of the generation that saved it, and Charlie was the tip of our spear, fearlessly stepping onto college campuses willing to engage civil discourse with respect but holding steadfast in his beliefs.
The militant left killed Charlie precisely because he was willing to engage in defense of the America First policies and traditional American values I am fighting for in Congress.
In the wake of Charlie’s assassination, our generation must commit to fighting harder, recognizing that we are truly up against evil forces. Forces that want to capture the hearts and minds like those of Charlie’s assassin, with the mission of destroying our values and forever transforming this great nation.
We must call it what it is, and my generation of Warriors cannot give up the struggle to undo the damage that radicals in previous generations and the weak-kneed Republicans who have allowed them to flourish when they needed to be met head on.
It has been said, “Only a fool would allow his enemies to teach his children.” For years, that is exactly what establishment Republicans allowed to happen. Fortunately, the Trump administration has recognized our classrooms as incubators for radical anti-American thought, and they are ushering in more school choice and willing to defund these institutions if necessary.
Our schools are only one battlefront, however. We must identify the others and commit to recapturing them through the weapons our First Amendment so adequately supplies.
From the courts, once dedicated to Justice, to the halls of Congress, we must fill positions of power with Happy Warriors dedicated to advancing America-first policies and defend with every fiber of our being, traditional American values.
During the past election cycles, when we knew our election system was broken, we saw exactly how far the establishment would go to silence anyone who dared question what we knew to be wrong.
They hoped to dismantle careers; they worked to destroy futures and even attempted to jail their political opponents. We can’t give them an inch.
It is incumbent on my generation of happy warriors to keep fighting in memory of Charlie Kirk. Fight for those values he was willing to give his life for, Faith, Family and Freedom.
We must be fearless. We must be thoughtful. We must rely on our better angels to guide us in this fight. But most importantly, we must win…for Charlie.