Erika Kirk says Turning Point’s efforts to support Vance in 2028 are ‘in the works’
By Michael Williams, CNN
(CNN) — Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk said her organization’s efforts to support a potential JD Vance presidential campaign in 2028 are “in the works.”
Kirk’s comments on an episode of The Megyn Kelly Show that was released on Monday were not unexpected.
Her late husband, Charlie Kirk, was an early advocate of Vance during Donald Trump’s vice presidential selection process in 2024, and the two remained close friends until Kirk’s assassination in Utah in September.
But the promise of the group’s backing is a critical acquisition for Vance’s hypothetical future presidential campaign. While Vance remains the most obvious apparent heir to Trump’s MAGA movement, other prominent Republicans have been making subtle moves to position themselves as candidates in 2028.
Turning Point, which Charlie Kirk co-founded in 2012 and ran until his death, has transformed into one of the most influential organizations in MAGA politics and has been credited with helping to galvanize young people to support Trump in the 2024 election. Erika Kirk took over the organization and vowed to keep it going in her husband’s memory shortly after he was killed.
Erika Kirk told Kelly that one of the last conversations she had with her husband was about “how intentional he was about supporting JD for ’28.”
But she emphasized the organization’s first priority is the midterm elections next year.
“Let’s start with the midterms before we start jumping to ’28,” she said. “And let’s enjoy the fact that we do have Donald Trump in office, and we worked really hard to make that happen, my husband did.”
“So I just want to enjoy that for a minute before we start jumping ahead,” she added.
In August, Trump acknowledged that Vance is “most likely” the heir of his MAGA movement. But then he quickly also name checked Secretary of State Marco Rubio and mused that Vance and Rubio could appear together on a future, hypothetical ticket.
The-CNN-Wire
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