New Hampshire leaders from all sides of the political spectrum unanimously condemned the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed while speaking at a university in Utah Wednesday.
Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte said she was “deeply saddened” by the news.
“It is the opposite of what we stand for and what America is all about,” Ayotte wrote on social media. “We must recognize that what unites us is far greater than what divides us, and we must come together to turn down the temperature on our disagreements.”
Kirk, 31, was the founder of advocacy group Turning Point USA and an ally of President Donald Trump. He is credited with leading the charge of the young conservative movement.
Sen. Sharon Carson, president of the state Senate, praised Kirk for inviting disagreement and debate over the ideas he championed. Political violence, she added, harms every American but won’t silence free speech.
“Charlie often urged students to stand up for their ideas with courage and to answer arguments with argument, not anger,” Carson said. “The way we honor that legacy is to reject violence, protect free expression and meet one another in the arena of ideas. Now is a time for prayer, reflection and an absolute rejection of violence and the rhetoric that fuels it.”
Kirk’s death is the latest in a string of political assassinations and violence that have swept the U.S. in recent months, spanning various ideologies. Two Minnesota lawmakers were killed earlier this summer. In April, there was an arson attack on the Pennsylvania governor’s residence, and President Donald Trump was the target of two assassination attempts last year.
New Hampshire’s members of Congress, all Democrats, posted on social media that they were praying for Kirk and his family, and that political violence is unacceptable.
“This is horrifying news,” U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas wrote. “We cannot tolerate or normalize political violence in America, and I strongly condemn this heinous act. I’m thinking of Charlie and his family at this time.”
Trump ordered all U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of Kirk.
Ayotte, in response to Trump’s proclamation, has directed flags to remain at half-staff after through Sunday.