All three Democrat candidates in Michigan’s U.S. Senate race—Abdul El-Sayed, Rep. Haley Stevens, and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow—have continued to use disparaging language against Charlie Kirk in the days following his assassination.
Abdul El-Sayed, in a September 20 post on X, acknowledged Kirk’s killing was “wrongly and unjustly” carried out, but added that Kirk’s speech was “often xenophobic, hateful, and inflammatory.” He wrote, “We can condemn the political violence that claimed a father and a husband without revising the history about who he was and what he stood for.” His assertions followed comments at his “Fight the Oligarchy” event with Sen. Bernie Sanders in August, where El-Sayed told the audience, “When they go low, we don’t go high. We take them to the mud and choke them out.”
Rep. Haley Stevens reinforced her own criticisms of Kirk during an interview ahead of a recent campaign event. “His stuff was odious,” she stated. “I mean, the man spouted racism, sexism, hatred.” Stevens has also faced ongoing backlash over her close ties to President Joe Biden, her record of voting with his administration 90 percent of the time, and her support for policies such as California’s electric vehicle mandate, which Michigan auto workers warned threatened local jobs.
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, in a September 17 post on X, referenced late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s firing while commenting on Kirk’s assassination. “I thought so much of what he said was vile and wrong, but Charlie Kirk had a right to say it. Kimmel had that right too. The Trump administration is killing free speech and laughing about it,” she claimed. McMorrow, who has previously fundraised for a group that teaches illegal immigrants how to avoid deportation, also supports a public option healthcare plan, a policy that studies show could force rural hospital closures across Michigan.
The continued rhetoric comes as national debate intensifies over political violence. A recent survey found that one in four, 25 percent, of Americans identifying as “very liberal” said violence can sometimes be justified to achieve political goals, compared to 17 percent of those identifying as “liberal.” By contrast, Republicans were far more likely to say violence is never justified.
Republicans have cautioned against narratives they contend dehumanize political opponents. Former Rep. Mike Rogers, who is also running for Michigan’s open Senate seat, condemned false labels used to justify Kirk’s assassination during an event in Howell, Michigan, last week alongside Vice President JD Vance. “Charlie Kirk was not killed because he was a fascist. He was called a fascist to justify his killing,” Rogers shared on X. “The Turning Point students who joined Vice President @JDVance and me in Howell today will pick up right where Charlie left off. We are ALL Charlie Kirk.”
At the same event in Howell, Vice President JD Vance stressed the importance of preserving open dialogue in the wake of Kirk’s assassination. “I would like to think that whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, this basic idea of young people gathering to discuss and debate, that is the thing that we cannot let pass away just because the leader of Turning Point USA was gunned down by an assassin,” Vance remarked.
Kirk was fatally shot on September 10 while hosting an event at Utah Valley University that was part of his “Great American Comeback” tour. Authorities allege that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who lived with a transgender partner described as disliking conservatives and Christians, carried out the killing after writing that he had “had enough of [Kirk’s] hatred.”
Since the assassination, Democrats and media figures have faced rebuke over statements about Kirk. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) retweeted a video calling Kirk a “reprehensible human being,” prompting President Donald Trump to call her a “disgusting person” who should lose her committee assignments. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) defended voting against a House resolution honoring Kirk, claiming his messaging “specifically targeted people of color.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) also voted against the resolution, accusing Kirk of racism and antisemitism, while framing the GOP resolution as partisan.
Former President Barack Obama suggested Trump bore responsibility for the environment that led to Kirk’s assassination, contrasting his own presidency as free of “extreme views.” In separate comments, Obama took aim at Trump and the FCC for Jimmy Kimmel’s suspension following the late-night host’s remarks linking Kirk’s assassin to MAGA supporters, a claim that is untrue.
Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger’s campaign staffer posted online celebrating Kirk’s assassination with the phrase “F around and find out.” Spanberger herself drew fire for urging supporters to “let your rage fuel you” in campaign speeches. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, meanwhile, has been criticized for past statements urging Democrats to be “meaner” and for comparing ICE to “Trump’s modern Gestapo,” comments resurfacing amid scrutiny of the climate around political violence.
Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was suspended after he refused to retract false claims about Charlie Kirk’s assassin, and although he has since returned to the air, he has continued to decline to issue an apology.
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