WASHINGTON — Erika Kirk, the widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and the organization’s new leader, publicly endorsed a potential 2028 presidential run by U.S. Vice President JD Vance during the opening night of the conservative youth group’s annual AmericaFest conference.
Speaking to a cheering crowd Thursday in Phoenix, Kirk said Turning Point USA would work to keep Congress in Republican control next year before turning her attention to Vance’s future ambitions.
“We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible,” she said, referring to the vice president’s possible bid to become the nation’s 48th president if he were to succeed President Donald Trump.
Kirk’s remarks marked the clearest expression of support yet for Vance from a figure who has been positioned as the steward of her late husband’s political legacy.
Charlie Kirk, the influential conservative activist who founded Turning Point USA, had emerged as a key power broker and bridge builder within the movement before he was assassinated in September.
Vance, who has close ties to the organization, is scheduled to address the conference on Sunday, the event’s final day.
AmericaFest has once again drawn large crowds and the high-energy atmosphere that has become a hallmark of Turning Point USA gatherings. This year’s event, however, has also been overshadowed by intense infighting among conservative commentators and former allies, tensions that have flared in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death.
Erika Kirk now leads the group as it navigates both its future direction and its role in shaping Republican politics ahead of the next presidential cycle.