David Horowitz, author and founder of the David Horowitz Freedom Center, has died following a battle with cancer. He was 86 years old.
Horowitz was a former Leftist and author of 'Radical Son', where he recounts his political shift to the Right.
Horowitz's son, Benjamin, remembered his father.
It's a lovely tribute that reads, in part:
In 1998, he also founded The Horowitz Freedom Center, where he recruited an inspired group of new young intellectuals to join his cause. The name 'Freedom Center' meant much more than most ever understood. While David became known for his change in views, in a sense he never changed at all. His personal style represented the place and community from which he came. Even when he wore a suit, he looked like a radical forced into it due to a court date or a wedding. More importantly, his mission to save the world centered around freedom. When David went to rescue people, it was always from oppression imposed by some person or group. Early on, he had been trained to think the rich capitalists were the oppressors. His political change came from the realization that his side was doing the oppressing. Protected by the guise of being 'for the people', the Panthers took Betty’s life. The progressives left millions to die of AIDS, so they could preserve their leadership positions. His former friends on the Left brutally excommunicated him from all their social relationships to reign power over him. It became clear that to fight for freedom, he had to be on the right and so the Freedom Center was born.
From the Freedom Center, he published thousands of high impact articles and books. He understood the systematic implications of seemingly benign cultural changes and used that knowledge to predict much of the future. Notably, he precisely forecast the intense campus antisemitism of 2024 in his book The Professors: The 101 Most Dangerous Academics in America published in 2006.
Read the entire thing.
X users came together to remember and honor Horowitz.
Quite the honor.
Horowitz often accused the Republican Party of bringing a Nerf gun to a nuclear war.
The entire post is long, but here's part of it:
David grew up on the hard Left and remained a committed Marxist into his 30s. But he had the rare courage to question everything, and ultimately reject the radicalism of his youth to become one of the most influential conservative thinkers of our time.
Without David Horowitz, I’m not sure Turning Point USA would exist. David was a lifelong crusader and maverick for the conservative cause. A former communist turned fierce anti-left advocate, he dedicated his life to confronting the ideologies he once embraced.
Over 90% of our earliest major donors were introduced at a David Horowitz event—thanks to his warm endorsements and generous introductions. His support opened doors that would have otherwise remained closed.
David always believed in me and in Turning Point USA. He saw our campus movement as a rebirth of freedom—the kind of revival he long hoped to see. We spoke often by phone, and he remained a trusted teacher and mentor throughout my journey.
Once again, read the entire thing.
What an exchange.
Amen.
Well said.
According to Fox News, Horowitz is survived by his wife, April Mullvain, sons Benjamin and Jonathan, and daughter Anne. His other daughter, Sarah Rose, passed away in 2008.
Our condolences to Horowitz's family and loved ones. May his memory be a blessing.