This photo taken on December 22, 2024 shows right-wing activist Charlie Kirk (R) shaking hands with US President Donald Trump as he speaks on stage at America Fest 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
"Charlie created something that finally lifted the voices and work of not only grassroots, but young people, people like myself who were just entering politics and gave us something that traditionally was only achieved by those who have had a lifetime in politics," DeWitt stated.
"Getting young people knocking doors, chasing ballots, getting signatures, signing up new voters, attending conferences, that was the key to winning the 2024 election," he continued.
A Fox News voter analysis had Trump wooing 47% of voters aged 18-29, with former Vice President Kamala Harris narrowly winning the demographic with 51%.
FROM GRIEF TO GROWTH: TURNING POINT USA BECOMES A RALLYING FORCE FOR GEN Z IN BATTLEGROUND ARIZONA
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA speaks during the Turning Point Action conference, July 15, 2023, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
Colin Reed, a Washington D.C.-based Republican strategist, noted how Kirk plays a unique role in "expanding the tent" for the party.
"A generation ago, it would have been unthinkable for a Republican candidate to run nearly equal among younger voters against a Democratic standard-bearer who had every Hollywood and celebrity endorser under the sun, but that’s precisely what happened in 2024," Reed wrote to Fox News Digital, alluding to Harris’s star-studded, but short campaign after Biden dropped out in July.
"Charlie opened the doors for younger people to not only consider the conservative movement but embrace it and champion its principles as a ticket to prosperity and happiness," he added.
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Those close to Kirk, including Turning Point Action’s leader Tyler Bowyer, have dubbed 2026 the "Charlie Kirk election" at a vigil at Arizona State University on Monday.
"2028 will be the Kirk-Vance election," he said, as the organization is expected to rally around Vice President JD Vance to be Trump’s successor.
Cameron Arcand is a politics writer at Fox News Digital in Washington D.C. Story tips can be sent to Cameron.Arcand@Fox.com and on Twitter: @cameron_arcand
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/charlie-kirks-influence-likely-helped-youth-swing-trump-2024