“Be like Charlie”: Slain activist Kirk focus of Republican youth conference’s first night

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THE WOODLANDS — Thousands gathered Friday night to kick off a conference of young Republicans in which Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist killed last week, was memorialized as a “martyr” whose death is galvanizing youths across the nation.

Speaker after speaker, from state lawmakers to influential MAGA cultural tastemakers, shared stories at the Texas Youth Summit about how Kirk — who began rallying young conservatives as a teenager — made them and others feel like their Christian-guided views mattered and their perspectives were shared by many.

They called him a “hero,” “miracle,” and “martyr for Christ." Amid the mourning, they said that the fight Kirk ha