The shocking assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk stunned Americans in a way that other shootings have not, prompting a period of deep reflection in Connecticut.
Elected officials and voters in both political parties have called for a toning down of the political rhetoric at a time when the nation is deeply divided between supporters and opponents of President Donald Trump. Kirk was a major Trump supporter who helped him get elected president by reaching out to young voters and getting them to the polls in 2024.
Known for his appearances on Fox News, Kirk was starting a national speaking tour of college campuses and was answering questions from a student about mass shootings at the time that he was shot. He was a pro-Trump, pro-MAGA, pro-Second Amendment activist at a time when the nation has been enduring sharp political debates, misinformation and disinformation and overheated rhetoric on social media.
Former House Republican leader Themis Klarides noted that she spent 22 years as an outspoken state legislator who won numerous elections, ran for the U.S. Senate, and debated sometimes fiercely on the floor of the House of Representatives at the state Capitol in Hartford.
“I spent many years speaking my mind publicly, regardless of who agreed or disagreed,” Klarides said on Facebook. “But all the while I felt safe in expressing those views, without fear for myself or my family. [The] news about Charlie Kirk is devastating to all we believe in as Americans: free speech, vigorous discourse, and the ability to do it without fear. This is not who we are as Americans. This type of violence should never happen. Ever.”
CT school board chair under fire for social post on Charlie Kirk. He says it wasn’t done by him.
In an example of the nation’s peak divisiveness, the comments by Klarides prompted immediate reaction and emotions on Facebook.
“You’re a fake RINO,” wrote one commenter, using the derisive conservative moniker of Republican In Name Only.
“Stop,” Klarides immediately replied.
“Go away!” her sister, Nicole Klarides-Ditria, wrote in all capital letters to the RINO commenter.
The back and forth represented a microcosm of the broader debate in a society that is bitterly divided over politics, religion, abortion, transgender rights, climate change, gun control, and other hot-button issues. Many of the issues generate extreme passion among activists on both sides, spurred on by social media that did not exist decades ago. If Americans were passionate about an issue in those days, they did not have an immediate outlet to lash out against their political opponents simply by typing out a message on Facebook or X, previously known as Twitter.
Former House Republican leader Themis Klarides says she never feared for her safety when speaking out during a 22-year career in the state legislature. Here, she accepted the convention endorsement of Republicans for the U.S. Senate in 2022 before eventually losing a primary. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
In a rare show of unity, the chairmen of both major political parties in Connecticut strongly condemned the shooting, displaying their resolve in a joint statement. Democratic chairman Roberto Alves and Republican chairman Ben Proto said the recent 24th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks shows that the country is strongest when Americans work together.
“The two of us disagree on many policy and political issues, but we agree on these two points: violence is never the answer to disagreements, and the only way we can stop the violence is by working together to bring down the temperature of political rhetoric,” they said. “Now is the time for public officials and advocates to step back and think about how rhetoric impacts and influences the people around us. As leaders of our respective parties and to the leaders of our government, it is imperative that we work together on this issue.”
They added, “Violence is unacceptable whether against a Republican or a Democrat or any one of any political belief because we disagree with the opinions they hold. We bring about change through debate, discussion, and at the ballot box. … The task is not an easy one, but America is worth the effort.”
That gesture by the party leaders prompted a feeling of optimism for Scott McLean, a longtime Quinnipiac University professor who studies politics and public opinion.
“That is an excellent step,” McLean told The Courant. “Gestures like that are wonderful, but they have to be followed up by actual behavior and actual change in these patterns.”
While some are deeply pessimistic about the future, McLean takes the other view.
“Is there something we can do? Yeah, just take a deep breath,” McLean said in an interview. “Wait before you talk and blab about extreme things on social media. Take a moment to reflect. … Enough is enough. Both political parties need to address this. Polarization has gone from spasms of difference on issues to distrust of each political party against the other to disgust in the general public. Now, we’re at the level beyond just hostility toward the other political party. There are elements who are genuinely accepting and claiming that there’s a necessity for political violence, and that has to not be allowed to continue. It’s our leaders’ responsibility, and they’re not getting it done.”
Political parties
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said that Kirk’s assassination needs to be viewed in the broader context of ongoing violence that includes the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the attempted assassination of Trump, the shootings of Minnesota legislators in their homes, the beating of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband in their San Francisco home, and the shooting of a health care chief executive as he walked on the street in midtown Manhattan that led to the arrest of Luigi Mangione.
“No more glorification or rationalization of violence,” Murphy wrote on X. “I’m not going to pull punches – I think Donald Trump, and his celebration of January 6th, has done more to normalize political violence than any other American. He should apologize and put those people back in jail. But some voices on the left celebrated Luigi Mangione. We just need to be crystal clear – and Trump needs to lead – that political violence is unacceptable no matter who pulls the trigger and who is the target. And any perpetrators go to jail, no matter who they support.”
Murphy sharply increased his national profile by being a key negotiator in a bipartisan compromise for the most far-reaching gun control law in 30 years that provided billions of dollars for mental health, cracked down on gun trafficking across state lines, and closed a loophole for domestic violence cases, among others.
“No new gun law is going to eliminate political violence if we don’t address the root causes, but why not be more careful about giving guns to people who have shown clear signs of brokenness?” Murphy asked. “This surge in political attacks isn’t the only existential threat to our democracy. It feels like our experiment is under threat from multiple fronts. Which is why Democrats and Republicans need to start showing more allegiance to our democracy than to party.”
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy has become one of the most outspoken Trump critics at the national level, saying politicians need to be devoted more to democracy than political parties. Here, he questions Secretary of State Marco Rubio during testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing to examine Trump’s budget request for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of State in Washington in May. (Associated Press Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
In both Washington, D.C. and Hartford, the two main political parties routinely blame each other for the nation’s troubles. Democrats repeatedly blame Trump now for multiple issues, and Republicans blamed Democratic President Joe Biden for four years and beyond as problems lingered after he left office.
House Republican leader Vincent Candelora said the problem is multi-faceted without an immediate answer.
“For me, Chris Murphy’s remarks aren’t the starting point on where we should be as a country,” Candelora told The Courant. “I think this issue goes well beyond democracy and political parties. I think this is just a base, fundamental issue of humanity. … We are either at the beginning of a very dark period in our history or this is coming to an end. … While political parties may spar and disagree, we don’t systematically pick up weapons and kill each other because of our speech.”
He added, “To me, it’s not about democracy. It’s not about political parties. … We have a much bigger problem than just our political parties.”
Gun violence is not new in the United States. The country has suffered from gun violence and political assassinations since the 1960s with President John F. Kennedy, U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King. While Kirk was not an elected official, he was a national figure in conservative circles and was well known on the Fox News Channel and among political insiders.
The shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has led to calls for toning down the political rhetoric across the country. Well-wishers paid their respects at a makeshift memorial at the national headquarters of Turning Point USA after the death of Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of the organization in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Kirk’s murder was condemned by representatives of all political ideologies.
“I am heartbroken and in shock at Charlie Kirk’s death—just as millions of conservatives are,” said Sen. Rob Sampson, one of the most conservative Republicans at the state Capitol. “Charlie was reason personified. The Left rejects reason for violence—but we will honor Charlie by multiplying his legacy a millionfold.”
On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. John B. Larson of East Hartford said, “Charlie Kirk’s death is a solemn reminder of the prevalence of gun violence and is a devastating instance of political violence – something we must never accept in the United States of America. No matter our politics or disagreements, there is no place for violence. We resolve our differences at the ballot box.”
Gov. Ned Lamont and state Republican chairman Ben Proto both condemned the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Cook and said that political violence has no place in America. Lamont and Proto are often on opposite sides of the issues, but they say leaders need to get along to get things done. Here, Lamont fakes an elbow jab to Proto’s gut during the Turkey Tuesday event before Thanksgiving in 2021 that was hosted at CityPlace in downtown Hartford.
Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com
