California Gov. Gavin Newsom praised the way the late Charlie Kirk engaged with young men, saying that his own Democratic Party needs to follow the example of the slain conservative leader.
“We have an epidemic of loneliness, and so much of that is manifesting and metastasizing online in very profound and consequential ways, and last week only underscored that further,” Newsom said Tuesday when announcing an initiative calling for 10,000 young men to volunteer as mentors, coaches, and tutors in response to higher-than-average suicide rates among the demographic.
Kirk, 31, was gunned down while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10. A 22-year-old Utah man, Tyler Robinson, was charged with aggravated murder in the case on Tuesday.
Speaking in a high school gym and weight room, Newsom said that Democrats had failed to effectively counter the outreach of conservatives to young men in last year’s election, calling the Democrat response “mixed or muted.”
“I thought that was a mistake,” Newsom said, according to Politico. “I still do.”
As Newsom gears up for what is widely believed to be a 2028 presidential run, his remarks represent an effort to rival the success of Republican activists and politicians in winning the “bro vote” for Democrats in future elections.
His comments also give insight into his response to the assassination of Kirk, who was the first guest to appear on the “This is Gavin Newsom” podcast.
“Why was Charlie my first guest? Because I recognized his influence, not just in the last election, but in how many young men and boys heard the bell and answered the bell in terms of organizing on campuses and supporting the dialogue, and the organizational principles that Charlie Kirk was supporting and advancing,” Newsom told reporters.
The governor also reportedly recalled his son’s reaction to Kirk, saying he asked for a photo with the Turning Point USA CEO when he came to tape the podcast and called from school to ask him if Kirk had survived the attack.
According to Politico, Newsom also criticized his own party for its failure to address the problems faced by young men and boys.
“We have a crisis in this country of men and boys, and for decades, candidly, we’ve neglected it because some of us have been scared to enter into the fray, because somehow we thought it was a zero-sum game,” Newsom said. “That somehow, by focusing on the needs of men and boys, somehow we’re taking away from our advocacy around gender equality.”
In the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s murder, Newsom called the shooting “disgusting, vile, and reprehensible” and urged Americans to ” reject political violence in EVERY form.”
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