More than half of the nation’s liberal voters and 40% of Democrats believe that the assassination of Charlie Kirk was “understandable,” the latest evidence that the killing has revealed a massive partisan divide in America.
In the latest Rasmussen Reports survey shared with Washington Secrets on Tuesday, 54% of liberal voters believe that Kirk, the cofounder of youth voting mobilizer Turning Point USA, spouted hate, so his killing was not surprising.
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“Charlie Kirk was speaking hateful words and his murder was tragic but understandable,” said 54% of liberals and nearly half of Democrats, a group Rasmussen pollster Mark Mitchell described as voters for losing 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Overall, most voters said that they believe Kirk was more of a uniter and agreed with the opposite view. Rasmussen said that 62% agreed with this characterization of Kirk: “Charlie Kirk was peacefully and respectfully debating people and it is a tragedy that he was murdered.”
Coming tomorrow…
— Mark Mitchell, Rasmussen Reports (@honestpollster) September 23, 2025
Almost half of Kamala voters say Charlie Kirk was speaking hateful words and his murder was tragic but UNDERSTANDABLE.
The survey is one of the first to test the nation’s view of Kirk since his slaying on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. It was conducted in the days leading up to Sunday’s memorial at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, attended by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, friends of Kirk.
While the general results were not unusual, the partisan divisions in the results showed how America is split on Kirk, political violence, and the effect of liberal media that has spent a year spinning that violence as Make America Great Again-inspired.
For example, despite Trump being the target of two assassins last year and Kirk’s murder, more voters said that they are concerned about “extreme right-wing terrorism” than left-wing terrorism, by a margin of 43% to 39%.
On that question, liberals helped push the numbers again, with 79% citing “extreme right-wing terrorism.”
Only 10% of Democrats are aware that Charlie Kirk’s killer was Left Wing.
— The Rabbit Hole (@TheRabbitHole84) September 22, 2025
This represents a complete failure of Legacy Media to honestly inform its viewers. pic.twitter.com/BTgIAb6Ka7
Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray, detailing emails alleged shooter Tyler Robinson had with his transgender partner and roommate, quoted Robinson admitting that he shot Kirk because he had “had enough of his hatred.”
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Some in the media have, however, played up reports that his family was pro-MAGA. ABC temporarily suspended late-night host Jimmy Kimmel for saying Robinson was “anything other than one of them.”
Others, even on network news, have said that there has been no evidence of politics at play in the slaying, a claim dismissed by Kirk’s family and Utah officials, including the governor.