LANSING — The Michigan Republican Party is organizing a Capitol rally on Monday, Sept. 15 to honor slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
State Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, the chair of the state GOP, said in a Sept. 11 news release that the 4 p.m. rally on the lawn around the east steps of the Capitol in Lansing is intended to “celebrate (Kirk’s) phenomenal achievements, to grieve together, and to commit ourselves to carrying forward the mission he championed so fiercely.”
Kirk, 31, was killed by a rifle shot during an outdoor Sept. 10 event at Utah Valley University. The FBI and other authorities are searching for the killer, who escaped the scene.
Runestad said he was calling on “patriots from every corner of our state to stand shoulder to shoulder at this gathering.”
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Kirk, a close ally of Republican President Donald Trump, was a co-founder of the group Turning Point USA, which staged events like the one in Utah to mobilize college-age Republicans. Kirk’s survivors include his wife and two children.
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was among Michigan elected officials of all political stripes to condemn political violence following Kirk’s killing.
Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Republicans planning Capitol rally to honor Charlie Kirk