The assassination of Charlie Kirk has become a defining moment in American politics, and not just because of the tragedy itself. When Tyler Robinson gunned down Kirk last week at Utah Valley University, he didn’t just take a life; he exposed a shocking reality: Some on the left celebrated the attack. That reaction has now triggered what’s being called the “Charlie Kirk effect,” a historic wave of Democrats abandoning their party and joining the GOP.
The numbers tell the story better than any pundit could. According to a report from The New York Post, across states like Florida and New Mexico, voter registration offices are reporting unprecedented surges in people switching from Democrat to Republican. These are Americans who watched the left's reaction to Kirk's murder and decided they'd seen enough.
“I’m switching parties to protest. I understand that the right also has certain character flaws, but it doesn’t culminate in sympathy for political violence,” said Sheilfer Zepeda, a 31-year-old avocado farmer and software entrepreneur from California, reacting to Democrats celebrating the assassination. “Attempted assassinations of presidential candidates, public executions of healthcare CEOs and political influencers seems to be in line with what leftists want.”
Zepeda further analyzed his old party. “After all, in revolutionary socialist doctrine, political violence is necessary and justified, which is why we see so many people trying to intellectualize these assassinations in the first place. I just simply cannot align with the direction things are going in.”
Christopher Elton, a restaurant manager from Bucks County, Pa., said Kirk’s death “definitely encouraged” him to register as a Republican last week.
“There’s more peace on the right compared to the left. And I’m almost embarrassed for voting left in my life,” he said. “I was always more of a policy voter than party affiliated. I slowly moved toward faith and religion and Jesus, and learned a lot through Charlie Kirk. He wasn’t argumentative. He brought you facts. If he was wrong, he’d be the first one to say it.”
These aren’t just isolated anecdotes. The post-assassination surge into the Republican Party has been so significant that even state GOP organizations have taken notice of the uptick.
The rate of Republican registrations in Florida tripled in the days immediately following Kirk’s slaying.
“Since Charlie was killed we’ve been seeing about 600 new Republican voters a day,” Florida GOP chair Evan Power told The Post. “We [usually] average about 200 a day, so 600 is a much bigger number—it’s a big deal.”
“It’s one thing to be a [No-Party Affiliation] voter when it seemed like everyone was getting along, but now we’re under attack,” Power said, adding that many of his own friends went from undeclared to Republican in the aftermath of Kirk’s murder.
Crucial swing state Pennsylvania saw a similar surge after Kirk’s killing. Republican voter registration doubled that week compared to previous averages.
The Keystone State clocked 2,148 new GOPers the week ending Sept 13, compared to 1,018 the week before. Democrats, by comparison, gained a measly 400 or so voters for each of those weeks.
And it’s not just happening in red, or purple, states. Leticia Munoz of the Republican Party of New Mexico told The Post that from Wednesday — the day Kirk was killed — to Sunday, 78 Democrats approached her booth at the New Mexico state fair to change their registration to Republican.
Jennifer Sey, the former Levi’s executive and once a lifelong Democrat, has officially joined the GOP. Levi’s fired Sey in 2022 for criticizing COVID-19 restrictions, and she has since become a leading voice against biological males competing in women’s sports. She even launched her own apparel line, XX-XY Athletics, focused on supporting women’s sports. But until now, she had never embraced the Republican label.
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“I felt like both parties have this sort of litmus test. And I didn’t want to be held to any litmus test. I just wanted to decide what I think and vote accordingly,” Sey told The Post.
“I want it noted. I want the record to show that people are fleeing the Democratic Party because of what they stand for right now,” she said. She recalled a meeting with Charlie Kirk, whom she described as “kind and gracious and very tall.”
“The vibe overall on the left — and certainly most of my now ex-friends are of the left — is that they are so convinced of their own righteousness that anything is justified.” And now, Sey added, that includes murder.
Kirk's murder was meant to silence conservative voices through intimidation and violence. Instead, it's created a political martyrdom that's energizing the right while exposing the left's tolerance for political violence when it serves their purposes.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk wasn’t just tragedy; it was a breaking point. Democrats celebrating political violence revealed a stunning truth: America rejects this madness. Join PJ Media VIP to support fearless conservative journalism that gives you the stories that the legacy media won't touch. Use code FIGHT for 60% off.
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