Turning Point USA says it has received tens of thousands of inquiries from people wanting to start new chapters at high schools and colleges after conservative founder Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting last week.
Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of radio’s “The Charlie Kirk Show,” said the nonprofit has been flooded with more than 37,000 new chapter requests, which would increase TPUSA’s presence on campuses by nearly twentyfold.
“To put that in perspective, TPUSA currently has 900 official college chapters and around 1,200 high school chapters, with a presence on 3,500 total,” Kolvet wrote on X on Sunday.
“Charlie’s vision to have a Club America chapter (our high school brand) in every high school in America (around 23,000) will come true much much faster than he could have ever possibly imagined. Truly incredible,” Kolvet said.
The show producer said Turning Point, which advocates for conservative politics on high school and college campuses around the country, also has been inundated with requests for people wanting jobs or to volunteer.
“I have personally received hundreds of offers to work for us, or to work for free, or to just help however,” Kolvet told Fox News Digital.
Kirk, 31, a strong ally and close personal friend of President Trump, was gunned down Sept. 10 while speaking to a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University as he kicked off his “The American Comeback Tour,” which is set to continue despite Kirk’s death.
The shooting sent shockwaves through conservative circles, where Kirk was revered as a charismatic and eloquent champion of traditional values, free speech and respectful disagreement with people who hold opposing viewpoints, particularly among the youth.
Kirk was well known for traveling around the country to college campuses to engage in spirited debates with students — many of whom vehemently disagreed with his right-wing views on topics like immigration and transgenderism.
The skyrocketing number of new chapter requests is also being credited to his widow, Erika Kirk, who urged admirers of her late husband to get involved with the organization in a stirring address streamed live on TPUSA’s YouTube page and elsewhere.
“To all of the young people who felt inspired by my husband’s faith in hard work, all of you already know what Charlie would want you to do,” she said.
“If you’re in high school or if you’re in college, go find your local Turning Point USA chapter. Join it. Stay involved. He wants you to make a difference. And you can. You can. The movement’s not going anywhere. And it will only grow stronger when you join it,” she added.
“If there isn’t a chapter, you can’t find one, then start one. There is no excuse. Start one.”
Google search interest in Turning Point USA has dramatically spiked, both in the immediate aftermath of the shooting and then again after Erika Kirk made her first public remarks, when searches jumped 455%.