Oct. 11, 2025, 11:53 AM EDTBy Katherine DoyleAs Erika Kirk steps into a more public role following the death of her husband, Charlie, conservatives are watching closely to see whether she can expand the reach of Turning Point USA, the organization he co-founded for young conservatives.Whereas Charlie Kirk’s message resonated with young men, Republicans involved in campaigns hope Erika Kirk can bring in more young women, a demographic Republicans have struggled to win over.“If Erika could solve this, it is monumental,” said Harlan Hill, a Republican consultant. “It is potentially greater than anything Charlie did. And it’s exactly, I think, what Charlie would have wanted.” Kirk declined an interview request. The Republican Party has made some gains among young women voters, but it still faces a daunting picture, with the gap largest among younger voters. President Donald Trump closed his gap among young women from 35 percentage points in 2020 to 23 in 2024, shrinking Democrats’ lead with the group, NBC News exit polls showed. But a recent NBC News Decision Desk Poll found that Generation Z women are the most anti-Trump group across age and gender, with 74% disapproving of his job performance, compared with 26% who approve. By comparison, 53% of Gen Z men disapprove, while 47% approve. The gap highlights the challenge for Kirk and shows why Republicans may be eager for her to play a larger role in reaching young women. Turning Point has resumed public events with appearances from high-profile figures — many of them women — with conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey and reality television star Savannah Chrisley among the speakers scheduled over the coming weeks and months. Megyn Kelly and Alex Clark, a former morning show host in Indianapolis who hosts the Gifted Apothecary podcast, recently hosted events.Alex Bruesewitz, a Trump adviser and friend of the Kirks, said Erika herself is a gifted speaker and well-positioned to lead the organization through a period of uncertainty after the loss of Charlie Kirk.“I don’t think anyone is better suited to run Turning Point than Erika,” he said. “She was by Charlie’s side as he took it from a small organization to a behemoth, and Erika played no small role.”At Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in Arizona last month, Kirk said she was “united in purpose” with her late husband and vowed that the organization would continue to grow under her leadership, promising more speaking events and “thousands” of new chapters nationwide. “His passion was my passion, and now his mission is my mission,” she said. “Everything that Turning Point USA built — Charlie’s vision and hard work — we will make 10 times greater through the power of his memory.”’I want to support her’Kirk has offered clues about her own political stance, emphasizing forgiveness, framing much of her purpose through a spiritual lens. On an episode of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” her husband once teased that Erika was much more conservative than he was. “Not even close,” he said, responding to a listener’s question. “I am a moderate compared to Erika.”Kirk also took credit for nudging her husband further rightward. “​​Andrew always jokes that when you got married to me, you got more based,” she said, referring to Andrew Kolvet, a longtime friend and colleague of her husband’s who was the executive producer of his show.Becoming a mother made Kirk even more conservative, her husband suggested. She agreed: “One hundred percent. Which I didn’t think was possible. And a better wife.”Kirk’s embrace of motherhood, faith and marriage is intrinsic. The one time she joined “The Charlie Kirk Show” after her husband’s death, she styled her name with the prefix “Mrs.” Motherhood is a “launchpad,” not a limitation, she said this year. “It’s not a waste of your degree to raise children with wisdom, love and truth.” At a conference for young women, she called for a revival of “biblical womanhood.”Kirk’s personal story and traditional views have already resonated with some women.