Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk speaks during an appearance on "Fox & Friends" at Fox News headquarters on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews in Md., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Tom Brenner/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
Erika Kirk speaks during Turning Point USA's AmericaFest 2025, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry)
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Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk speaks during an appearance on "Fox & Friends" at Fox News headquarters on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
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Vice President JD Vance speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews in Md., on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. (Tom Brenner/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Erika Kirk, widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and the organization’s new leader, endorsed a potential presidential bid by Vice President JD Vance on the opening night of the conservative youth group’s annual conference.
After telling the cheering crowd that Turning Point would help keep Congress in Republican hands next year, she said, “We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible.â€
Vance would be the 48th president if he takes office after Trump.
Kirk’s statement on Thursday is the most explicit backing of Vance’s possible candidacy by a woman who has been positioned as a steward to her late husband’s legacy. Charlie Kirk had become a powerbroker and bridge builder within the conservative movement before in September.
Vance is set to speak to Turning Point on Sunday, the conference’s last day. The convention has featured the usual spectacle and energy that have characterized the organization’s events, but the proceedings have also been marred by and estranged allies who have turned on each other in the wake of Kirk’s death.
