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- Jelani Gibson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill voted for a resolution in U.S. House of Representatives condemning the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk while sharply criticizing Kirk’s views as racist and misogynistic.
“Charlie Kirk was advocating for a Christian nationalist government and to roll back the rights of women and Black people — this flies in the face of every value I hold dear and that I fight for,” Sherrill, a North Jersey congresswoman, said in a statement. “But the Constitution protects free speech, even for those I vehemently oppose.”
Sherrill, D-11th Dist., said free speech protections are meant to safeguard dissenting views, yet critics of Kirk are being silenced.
“Meanwhile, President (Donald) Trump has and continues to define hypocrisy at every turn,” she said. “On one hand, he denounced Kirk’s politically motivated killing, while on the other hand, he is instigating a witch hunt worthy of Joseph McCarthy to shut down the free speech rights of anyone who disagrees with Kirk’s racist, anti-American views.”
Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed earlier this month at a speaking event in Utah. His death has sparked national debate over political violence and free expression.
The controversy has also reached New Jersey, where some teachers have faced backlash for social media posts critical of Kirk, some of whom have cited safety concerns after doing so.
Sherrill’s Republican opponent in the governor’s race, Jack Ciattarelli, condemned her remarks.
“Mikie Sherrill’s hypocrisy knows no bounds,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “After voting ‘yes’ on a resolution honoring Charlie Kirk’s life and condemning his violent death, Mikie reversed course and sided with extremists in her own party by attacking a fellow American, a son, a husband and a father who was assassinated for speaking his mind.”
“It’s inexcusable and disqualifying,” Ciattarelli added.
In the wake of Kirk’s death, New Jersey lawmakers have called for greater civility in political discourse and are considering legislation to classify political violence as a hate crime in the state.
Two Union County state legislators, Senate Higher Education chair Joe Cryan and former Republican gubernatorial candidate John Bramnick announced plans for a bipartisan college campus debate tour to promote civil dialogue.
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