The House of Representatives adopted a resolution honoring the “life and legacy” of Charlie Kirk on Friday, after it was introduced by Speaker Mike Johnson earlier in the week — although the resolution received significant bipartisan support, 58 Democrats voted no on the ceremonial measure.
The vote was 310–58, with 95 Democrats in support of the measure, 58 voting “no,” and 38 voting “present.”
Johnson introduced the bill not only to honor Kirk nine days after his assassination, but also to condemn “all forms of political violence,” the resolution reads.
“The tragic loss of Charlie Kirk must not be allowed to deepen the divides in our Nation, but instead serve as a turning point to recommit ourselves to better angels, and to the timeless American principles of liberty governed by truth and the virtues of peaceful dialogue,” the resolution reads.
It also commends law enforcement for their efforts and extends condolences to Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, and his family.
Democrats who voted no on the resolution include Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.).
“Today’s resolution only underscores the majority’s recklessness by choosing to author this condemnation and honoring on a purely partisan basis, instead of uniting Congress in this tragedy with one of the many bipartisan options to condemn political violence and Kirk’s murder,” Ocasio-Cortez said on the House floor.
A different resolution was proposed by Representatives Marc Veasey (D., Texas) and Brittany Pettersen (D., Colo.) ahead of Friday’s vote, “Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives condemning all forms of political violence and rejecting rhetoric that dehumanizes or demonizes political opponents.”
The resolution also condemned other attacks, including the beating of Paul Pelosi, the murder of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, and the events of January 6. It also condemned the assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, among other examples.
Democratic leaders, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, and Democratic House Caucus chair Pete Aguilar, released a joint statement before voting on the resolution.
“We will vote yes on H. Res. 719 which is on the floor today. Our vote is not an endorsement of the views espoused by Charlie Kirk in any way, shape or form,” the statement reads.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R., La.) spoke out to Democrats who voted “no” on the measure.
“The ones that voted no, open up your heart and then just think about Erica and those kids and the millions of people who were heartbroken over Charlie’s loss,” Scalise said on Fox News. “This movement’s not going to go away. Charlie started a movement, but this movement’s only going to grow. You can see over 50,000 young people have reached out to Turning Point and said they want to start their own Turning Point chapter on colleges or high school campuses. That’s a sign that they have woken up a sleeping giant.”