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Republican lawmakers are accusing Democrats of playing politics over a resolution honoring the “life and legacy” of Charlie Kirk, which passed the House along bipartisan lines last week.
The Friday vote split Democrats – 95 voted to approve the measure, 58 voted in opposition, 38 voted “present” and 22 did not vote.
House Republicans have been hammering those 58, and several pointed out the fractured vote was much different from an earlier resolution condemning an attack on state lawmakers from Minnesota who were shot earlier this year.
That resolution passed the House in a unanimous 424-0 vote in late June.
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“In June, House Republicans voted unanimously to condemn the attacks on Democratic Minnesota lawmakers,” Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., wrote on X late Sunday. “Last week, not even half of House Democrats voted to condemn the assassination of Charlie Kirk.”
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., recounted the tragedy in Minnesota with more detail, writing in a statement, “When Minnesota Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were murdered, and State Senator John Hoffman and his wife were wounded, the U.S. House unanimously passed a resolution condemning the attack and political violence.”
“But after Charlie Kirk was assassinated, 58 Democrats voted against denouncing political violence,” Mace wrote.
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., said he believed the decision by dozens of Democrats to oppose the measure would reflect negatively on the party as a whole in the coming midterm elections.
“58 House Democrats refused to condemn the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Every House Republican voted to condemn the attack against the Democrat lawmakers in Minnesota. This is why Democrats continue to lose,” Steube wrote on X. “Americans won’t forget in 2026.”
Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fla., also criticized those who voted “present.”
“Every single House Republican voted to condemn the murders in Minnesota. Meanwhile, 58 House Democrats refused to condemn the murder of Charlie Kirk. Another 38 put their hands in their pockets. Those 96 need to be held accountable,” Fine wrote.
The Minnesota resolution condemned “the June 14, 2025, attacks on Minnesota state legislators” and called “on all people in the United States to reaffirm our commitment to a safe, civil, and peaceful democracy.”
The resolution honored “the lives of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman, who were killed, Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman, who were critically injured, and the law enforcement officers who rapidly responded to the attacks and apprehended the suspected perpetrator.”
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Republicans’ measure memorializing Kirk went into comparatively more detail on the slain conservative activist as a person, lauding him as “one of the most prominent voices in America, engaging in respectful, civil discourse across college campuses, media platforms and national forums, always seeking to elevate truth, foster understanding and strengthen the Republic.”
It also said Kirk “personified the values of the First Amendment…and did so with honor, courage, and respect for his fellow Americans,” while calling on all Americans to condemn political violence.
Several Democrats who opposed the measure said they were uncomfortable with its praise of Kirk.
“Political violence should never be tolerated. However, empathy is not celebration, and I do not have to call Charlie Kirk a hero. He was no such thing. He repeatedly disparaged minorities, especially Black Americans,” Rep. Shri Thandear, D-Mich., wrote on X Friday.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said in a written statement, “Condemning the depravity of Kirk’s brutal murder is a straightforward matter – one that is especially important to help stabilize an increasingly unsafe and volatile political environment where everyday people feel at risk.”
“It then only underscores the majority’s recklessness and intent to divide by choosing to introduce this resolution 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, as we did with the late Melissa Hortman,” she continued. “His rhetoric and beliefs were ignorant and sought to disenfranchise millions of Americans – far from ‘working tirelessly to promote unity’ as asserted by the majority in this resolution.”
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