PUTNAM COUNTY, W.Va. –The members of the Putnam County Republicans gathered Monday evening to honor the late Charlie Kirk and to rally conservatives to action.
The event, titled “Stand and Speak,” was held at the Putnam County Courthouse in Winfield.
West Virginia Republican Party Chairman, Del. Josh Holstein, who spoke at the event, said it was primarily intended to inspire and encourage young people to get involved.
“One of the ways to do that is by engaging in Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point organization, setting up a chapter in their high school or college and we as the republican party we want to help contribute to that as much as possible to help young people get started in the conservative movement to stand up for their values and the goals that they have for their state and life,” Holstein, R-Boone, told MetroNews.
Kirk, 31, was killed on September 10 while attending a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University.
The event also functioned as a workshop for young individuals, equipping them with the skills and resources to start their involvement.
Holstein said their primary goal was to teach the participants to be bold, just like Charlie.
“Charlie was bold, even when his takes were sometimes controversial, he was bold in what he said and we want to inspire young people to be bold and take action and be the first one to start something in their school because if you do that it’s a snowball effect, it takes one person to get something started,” he said.
At the event, Holstein recounted how he met Charlie and how that encounter earned his lasting respect.
He recounted attending a High School Leadership Summit in 2017, now known as the Student Action Summit, where he heard from young people who have since become active in the conservative movement. He noted that participants were placed in small groups, and Charlie made a point of visiting every group.
“One of the questions he asked us right out of the gate was, what do you want to do with the conservative movement and when we questioned that he said well what does that mean for your state, for your family, and for your friends, what do you want to see from your future, just a very intriguing guy and from that point forward I had a lot of respect for him,” Holstein said.
Since Charlie’s death, Holstein said they have seen Turning Point chapters happening in the state.
Holstein noted that, since Charlie’s passing, Turning Point chapters have begun forming throughout the state.
“What we’re seeing is a lot of people have gotten their foot through the door and gotten chapters started or at least organized,” Holstein said. “And we’re hopeful that over the next few years we’ll have active groups all throughout the state. Our goal, in conjunction with Turning Point, is to get them in all 55 counties across the state.
At present, both West Virginia University and Marshall University maintain active chapters. Marshall established its chapter only seven days after Charlie’s passing and has since grown to more than 150 members.