Opinion
Charlie Kirk’s group has a lot of clout within the MAGA movement, but it also has a history of backing losers in key electoral races of varying stature.
The midterm elections are here — and Republicans appear to be once again fretting over Turning Point USA.
Charlie Kirk’s conservative activist group has a lot of clout within the MAGA movement. But as I’ve noted in recent years, the well-funded organization also has a track record of questionable spending and backing losers in key electoral races of varying stature.
Some true oddities, really. Remember Blake Masters? Or John Gibbs? These and other examples have prompted some GOP criticism of Turning Point’s practices and influence. And concerns about candidate quality have apparently been weighing on some conservatives’ minds, as a bunch of candidates endorsed by or affiliated with Turning Point find themselves in competitive races.
Politico spotlighted these concerns in a report on Republican kvetching over Andy Biggs’ gubernatorial campaign in Arizona. As the headline says: “Turning Point rests its reputation on Andy Biggs’ race. It’s not looking good.”
The report notes that Biggs, whom polls have shown trailing incumbent Democratic candidate Katie Hobbs, was the last candidate to be endorsed by Kirk before his assassination. And it quotes multiple Republicans criticizing Turning Point:
“If JD Vance intends to run for president, I think it would be a good idea to reevaluate any thoughts he might have about utilizing Turning Point Action as his field operation,” said Gina Swoboda, a former chair of the Arizona Republican Party who has openly sparred with the organization.
In another swipe at Turning Point, Swoboda told the Phoenix New Times: “The problem I have with them is that they lose over and over and over again, and they will lose on Tuesday.”
Turning Point’s underwhelming influence is evident elsewhere, too.
A lot of people know Colorado gubernatorial candidate Victor Marx as the guy who claims to have killed a man as a child and says he met Satan during an exorcism. Fewer people are aware that Kirk used Turning Point to help Marx gain a national profile. That effort featured a TPUSA-produced video starring the two in which Marx, who has since openly bragged about shoving his wife, is presented as an authority on “How to Stand Up for Your Family.”
In North Carolina, Democrat Roy Cooper is trying to flip the seat being vacated by outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis — and the Republican candidate, Michael Whatley, has had his profile boosted by Turning Point for years. The group successfully pressured Ronna McDaniel to step down as leader of the Republican National Committee in 2024 and began promoting Whatley once he became chair.
Now, Turning Point has endorsed Whatley in a race he may lose bigly, which would be yet another loss for a group with few wins to show for its outsize influence.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.