In a moment that stunned Indiana University students, 18-year-old Camdyn Glover began crying in her classroom after Charlie Kirk was assassinated in September. While classmates cheered and clapped, Glover’s reaction made her realize that her conservative voice could no longer be ignored. “We can’t be silenced,” Glover said. She decided that her voice could no longer be ignored.
Turning Point USA’s Shift to Women
The Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix is the first to take place since Kirk’s death. The organization, which once drew college men with its masculine rhetoric, is now expanding its outreach to young women. With Erika Kirk-Charlie’s widow-at the helm, the group hopes to narrow the gender divide that has long challenged Republicans. Turning Point promotes traditional values such as encouraging women to prioritize marriage over careers while also embracing health trends popular online.
On Friday, attendees lined up for selfies with wellness influencer Alex Clark. Vendors sold health products and Trump merchandise. One fan wore a “Make America Pro-Life Again” hat and “MAHA red” lipgloss, a nod to Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. Another carried a “grass-fed conservative” pin on her lanyard.
Glover’s Journey to a Political Home
Glover first discovered Turning Point in high school, where she felt isolated for being anti-abortion. At her first conference, she found a community that accepted her. “They want to promote a strong independent woman who does hold these values and can go stand up for herself,” she said. “But it’s also OK to do it in heels, put some makeup on, wear a dress.”
Her parents and brothers joined her in Phoenix, and she felt the conference was a turning point in her political life.
Stella Ross: From TikTok to Campus Politics
Stella Ross, a devout Catholic, met Charlie Kirk on TikTok before the last presidential election. Feeling her campus treatment unfair, she joined Indiana University’s Turning Point chapter the same month that Trump won his comeback campaign. “I was like, wow, if Erika can do it, I can do it,” Ross said. She interns with Indiana’s Republican Party and aspires to be a press secretary for a governor or president. Ross values a traditional nuclear family, describing it as “God’s plan.” She says seeing Erika live that balance makes her feel a realistic future is possible.
Erika Kirk’s New Role
Erika Kirk, once a beauty-pageant winner, model, actress and casting director, founded a Christian clothing line and a ministry teaching the Bible. In a recent interview with The New York Times, she said she had fully bought into “boss babe” culture before Charlie showed her a “healthier” perspective on life. She now leads the multimillion-dollar organization. At a memorial for her husband, she said the organization would be “10 times greater through the power of his memory.”
A professor of rhetoric at the University of North Georgia, Matthew Boedy, noted that Erika’s story resonates because she tried the career path before meeting her husband. “I do think her story resonates more because she tried it out and can tell them it is not for them,” Boedy said.
The Gender Gap in Republican Support
A recent Gallup analysis shows women under 30 are more likely to identify as ideologically liberal and embrace liberal views on abortion, the environment and gun laws. The gap was evident in the last presidential election, where 57 % of male voters under 30 supported Trump, compared with 41 % of women under 30, according to AP VoteCast. Turning Point is working to close that divide by hosting events such as the Young Women’s Leadership Summit and urging attendees to embrace traditional family values and gender roles.
Charlie Kirk previously said that if a young woman’s priority is to find a husband, she should go to college for a “MRS degree.” Some conservative women disagree with the approach. Raquel Debono, an influencer in New York City, called the conference a “Stepford wives conference,” noting that the emphasis on traditional wives “leaves out a lot of women who work,” and she believes the movement will lose voters in the next election cycle. Debono founded her own organization, Make America Hot Again, hosting parties to welcome voters into the conservative movement.
Rapid Growth After the Tragedy
Aubree Hudson, president of Turning Point’s chapter at Brigham Young University for only two weeks, attended a Utah Valley University event with Charlie Kirk. She said she was standing only about six feet away when he was fatally shot. Hudson, 22, from a rural farm town in southwestern Colorado, says the number of people-especially women-joining the organization has jumped “big time” since the assassination.
Emma Paskett, 18, was planning to attend the Utah Valley University event after class but did not make it there. She began watching videos of Kirk that night. “That’s exactly what I want to be like,” she said. Paskett considers Erika Kirk to be a “one in a million” role model, and her role as a leader was a driving factor in signing up. “I consider Erika Kirk to be a ‘one in a million’ role model,” she added.
Key Takeaways
- Turning Point USA is actively recruiting women under the leadership of Erika Kirk after Charlie Kirk’s death.
- The conference blends traditional family values with popular health trends, attracting a diverse crowd.
- Women who feel isolated by their political views find a community that encourages them to stand up for themselves-while also embracing femininity.
The Turning Point conference in Phoenix marks a pivotal moment for the organization’s future, as it seeks to redefine Republican engagement among young women and bridge a widening gender gap in political support.
