TPUSA chapters see boom in recruitment, nearly 18k inquiries for college chapters
Turning Point USA (TPUSA) received 17,700 inquiries to start new chapters on college campuses after Charlie Kirk's assassination.
Campus Reform spoke to TPUSA chapter leaders at Florida International University (FIU) and the University of West Georgia (UWG).
Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is experiencing a nationwide surge in campus chapters and student recruitment following the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
The organization received 17,700 inquiries to start new chapters on college campuses, bringing the total number of campus inquiries up to 35,000, TPUSA public relations manager Aubrey Laitsch told Campus Reform.
Cristen Lameira, who helps run the TPUSA chapter at Florida International University (FIU), said the chapter’s involvement records have been shattered.
“Our chapter leaders have been flooded with calls, texts, [and] social media messages,” Lameira told Campus Reform. She said the group gained more than 400 followers online and held a vigil for Kirk that drew more than 700 attendees, an unprecedented turnout for the chapter.
It was previously “a hustle to get over 100 people at an event,” she said. “I’m sad that it took Charlie Kirk’s assassination to inspire a crowd like this, but I also feel uplifted and inspired. We all united as a big family to not only mourn but to honor and to celebrate Charlie Kirk’s life, mission and legacy.”
Lameira noted that even professors at FIU reached out to support the campus group.
At the University of West Georgia (UWG), TPUSA chapter president Gwyn Andrews said the response on her campus has been tremendous.
“Our Turning Point group alone in the last 72 hours has gained 21 new members,” Andrews said. “There has been an outpouring of students on campus who want to get involved and stay involved!”
Andrews launched her chapter in August 2024 with just five active members and said there had been little engagement on social media prior to Kirk’s death. Now, she said she gets new messages of interest every time she refreshes the social media page.
“This new movement has 100% reshaped and strengthened our chapter. I started to feel like I was beating a dead horse hoping people would join, it has been so rewarding seeing my generation step up to the calling,” she said.
Andrews added that students from nearby high schools have reached out, asking how they can start TPUSA chapters of their own.
“I knew that this would ignite a fire among students all across the country but I never in one million years would’ve expected there to be 30,000 new chapter requests,” Andrews said.
Looking to the future, both Lameira and Andrews say students have a legacy to carry, even in the face of opposition.
Andrews said that last semester, University of West Georgia students petitioned to remove the TPUSA chapter, garnering 2,000 signatures.
“Our goal within TPUSA this year will be to stand firm in our conservative values on campus, and to make it known that we will not back down in the face of adversity,” Andrews said.
Lameira expressed that students on her campus are energized to carry on Charlie’s torch.
“If there is one thing we learned this week is that Charlie and TPUSA has impacted more people than we could have ever imagined,” she said. “It’s time to put our energy into action and keep Charlie’s mission alive. We will fight to make TPUSA bigger, louder, bolder, and braver than ever before.”
Follow the author of this article on X and Instagram: @RealEmilySturge
