In the hours and days after Charlie Kirk’s killing, the breadth of people — particularly younger ones — sharing grief and shock on newsfeeds, Instagram stories, or TikTok livestreams might have been surprising.

They were not just avowed conservatives or loyal Trump voters, but seemingly apolitical people: old classmates or hometown friends who never posted much about current events — until now. For liberals or people in their 30s it might have seemed unexpected.

But the reactions are just one sign of Kirk’s influence, and how his movement and style of politics might linger after his death.

Kirk was a generational figure, who redefined how politics, political media, and Gen Z culture worked for his followers, allies, and political opponents.

To understand that lasting influence — why he

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