House Republicans forced Democrats into an awkward vote Friday by pushing through a resolution that hailed conservative provocateur Charlie Kirk as a champion of “unity” and “respectful, civil discourse,” despite his record of racist, misogynistic, and homophobic rhetoric.
The measure passed 310-58 with support from nearly 100 Democrats. It condemns political violence and eulogizes Kirk, who was fatally shot at an outdoor rally in Utah on Sept. 10, as a “courageous American patriot” who “worked tirelessly to promote unity without compromising on conviction.”
Only two of the six Democrats in the Michigan delegation — Reps. Shri Thanedar and Rashida Tlaib, both of Detroit — voted no. The state’s other four Democratic representatives, Debbie Dingell of Ann Arbor, Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids, Kristen McDonald Rivet of Bay City, and Haley Stevens of Birmingham, supported the resolution.
Stevens is running for U.S. Senate and was recently endorsed by the Michigan Democratic Party Black Caucus.
In a statement, Dingell said she “vehemently” opposes Kirk’s “ideology, beliefs, and views, which were often divisive and cruel — but I voted in support of this resolution because his horrific killing, and this volatile time require all of us to reject violence, hate, and anger without hesitation.”
Thanedar said honoring Kirk crossed a line.
“Empathy is not a celebration, and I will not call Charlie Kirk a hero,” he wrote on X after the vote. “I represent Detroit, the Blackest major city in the country. Given Kirk’s history of disparaging remarks towards Black Americans, I could not vote yes on House Resolution 719.”
In written remarks shared with Metro Times, Thanedar said he mourned with Kirk’s family and opposed political violence, but could not endorse a resolution that whitewashed Kirk’s record of disparaging Black achievement.
“Charlie Kirk was obsessed with affirmative action and DEI,” Thanedar wrote. “He not only questioned the qualifications of Black Americans, but he also implied that there was no chance Black Americans could possibly be qualified for the positions they held. … This pattern — questioning Black intelligence, denying Black merit — runs through his years of commentary.”
Tlaib’s office has yet to release a statement regarding her vote.
Kirk built much of his brand by tearing down affirmative action, diversity programs, and civil rights gains, often with language that critics called outright racist. He railed against affirmative action and diversity initiatives, disparaged Martin Luther King Jr., and even described the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a “huge mistake.”
On one podcast, Kirk singled out four prominent Black women — Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee — and declared, “You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously.”
In another broadcast, Kirk said, “If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’”
Kirk was also a crusader in the culture wars around gender and sexuality. He derided women in leadership as “diversity hires” and frequently attacked LGBTQ+ people, dismissing same-sex marriage as illegitimate and promoting the “groomer” slur against gay teachers. He championed anti-trans legislation across statehouses and condemned immigrants, espousing the Great Replacement conspiracy theory which promotes the idea of ethnic cleansing of white Americans.
On Wednesday, the Congressional Black Caucus condemned Kirk’s assassination while rejecting the resolution as a political ploy.
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“It is, unfortunately, an attempt to legitimize Kirk’s worldview — a worldview that includes ideas many Americans find racist, harmful, and fundamentally un-American,” the caucus said.
For Thanedar, who represents a majority-Black district, the issue was personal as well as political.
“A hero is someone who fights for everyone, including those who have been historically left behind,” he wrote. “For white, conservative Christians, Kirk was their biggest champion. For the rest of us, it feels like Kirk was constantly putting us down and demeaning us. He did not earn a hero’s recognition.”