What Democrats Can Learn From Charlie Kirk

Opinion|What Democrats Can Learn From Charlie Kirk

The fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk is both a human tragedy and a political inflection point. His politics were divisive — that must be acknowledged. But we must also face another truth. He connected with many young Americans, particularly young men, who feel invisible in our politics, young men searching for purpose and belonging who deserve to be heard.

Democrats right now have a rare opportunity to reach these voters — if they can learn what Mr. Kirk understood about connection. They should take a page out of his playbook.

New polling shows that young men, many of whom helped elect Donald Trump in 2024, are drifting away from the president. Since Mr. Trump took office in January, his approval ratings among men under 30 have fallen by 29 percentage points on the issue of inflation, 25 points on jobs and 21 points on the economy. Yet those losses don’t automatically translate into Democratic gains, because many of these men still see Democrats as weak, ineffective and unresponsive.

Mr. Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, didn’t create a traditional political network; it built a network of belonging, where community came before ideology, and culture became a driving force in politics. It established chapters on high school and college campuses that gave young conservatives a ready-made social life tied to politics. Its conferences featured appearances by many of the right’s boldface names and influencers, helping turn activism into a lifestyle.

In dozens of focus groups conducted by my polling firm, young men identified three forces shaping their lives: economic displacement that keeps stability out of reach, institutional distrust born of broken promises, and a crisis of belonging rooted in masculinity.

The data backs them up. The median age of a first-time home buyer has climbed to 38, the oldest since tracking began in 1981. For many, that gap between effort and reward doesn’t just feel unfair; it feels like betrayal. And betrayal fuels political anger.