Sen. Hoffman Remembers Charlie Kirk’s True Spirit

AZ State Senator Jake Hoffman (R-15) offered the Arizona Globe a heartfelt message about his longtime friend and colleague, Charlie Kirk. Hoffman described the late Turning Point USA founder as a man who defied political pettiness and kept his focus firmly on faith, mission, and principle.

“I spent 10 years with Charlie Kirk,” Hoffman said. “There were many things that were uniquely exceptional about my friend Charlie. His historic intellect. His unquenchable thirst for knowledge. His burning passion for Jesus. But one of the traits that rarely gets highlighted is Charlie’s ability to keep the important thing the important thing.”

Hoffman recalled that, in a political world often consumed by ego, ambition, and personal feuds, Kirk chose a different path. “Charlie never cared about the pettiness and drama of the conservative movement,” Hoffman noted. “He didn’t care about jockeying for position, for power, for influence, for acclaim. He just stayed mission-focused.”

According to Hoffman, even when others sought to create conflict, Kirk refused to engage in divisive squabbles. Instead, he extended grace and continued building coalitions. “He never took it personally. And he never let it negatively impact the mission,” Hoffman said. “He exemplified what Jesus meant to turn the other cheek.”

That steadfastness, Hoffman argued, allowed Kirk to strengthen relationships and mend divides. “In every instance, the unyielding love he showed those people resulted in mended bridges and renewed relationships,” Hoffman recalled.

For Kirk, the objective was clear: to advance the conservative movement and restore America as “the shining city atop the hill.” Hoffman said Kirk’s conviction was rooted not in politics for its own sake, but in timeless principles. “His heart for the movement was unshakeable because he knew, deep down in his bones, that opportunity, equality, and liberty are what enable all mankind here on this earth to prosper in unimaginable ways.”

Hoffman closed with a challenge to those mourning Kirk’s passing. “We are all Charlie Kirk now. His legacy lives on in each of us. So let us take up this mantle to love one another and keep the important thing the important thing.”