Less than two weeks following the assassination of conservative commentator and activist Charlie Kirk, Republican lawmakers have proposed measures honoring him in Ohio. The actions come a few days after Congress passed a national day of remembrance for Kirk last week.
Senate Bill 271 from Sen. Al Cutrona (R-Canfied) has only one line: it would declare Oct. 14 as Charlie Kirk Memorial Day in Ohio. That’s his birthday, which is similar to the resolution Congress passed on Friday. That passed with support from both of Ohio's Republican senators and all 10 Republican congressmen from Ohio, along with two of Ohio's five Democratic representatives. The other three Ohio Democrats voted against it.
Sen. Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) said this honor is appropriate though Kirk wasn’t from Ohio. But a similar honor wasn't proposed for fellow state lawmaker Melissa Hortman, the Democratic speaker of the Minnesota House who was assassinated along with her husband in their home in June.
“Not to suggest that any others who were victims in other states were not important, those are terrible things. Political violence is clearly not something that we should find acceptable. But Charlie and his organization were internationally known. And you can't say that about many of the other victims," Cirino said in an interview. “We have to remember those victims and pray for their families, but Charlie and his organization reached out in deeply into the state of Ohio and deeply into the hearts of many of us in the legislature."
In the House, 50 of the 65 Republicans are sponsoring House Resolution 241 to honor Kirk.
The Republican and Democratic leaders of the Ohio House and Senate issued a statement condemning political violence last week, naming both Kirk and Hortman.
Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy, who spoke at a vigil for Kirk organized by the Ohio College Republican Federation, is joining Kirk's Turning Point USA on a tour of college campuses. He'll be featured at an event at Montana State University on Oct. 7.
