The killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has sparked partisan maneuvering in Ulster County, as local politicians spun the murder into a divisive political issue.

Kirk, 31, the co-founder of Turning Point USA and a close ally of president Donald Trump, was assassinated during a speaking engagement at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. He traveled college campuses inciting intense debate with the stated goal of fostering mutual understanding to avoid violence, though critics have characterized some of what he said as hate speech.

The extremist views and motives of accused gunman, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, have so far not fit neatly into traditional left or right ideology. This has not stopped politicians from using Kirk’s death as a political football. Rather than serving as a

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