Credit: (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Charlie Kirk, like many visible and controversial personalities now, is largely a creation of the media.

But, in death, Kirk has become more of a flashpoint than he ever was in life. Many conservatives rally around the fact that Democrats and liberals are having a hard time balancing outrage over Kirk’s assassination with disgust at what Kirk stood for. Kirk was a well-known right-wing activist and a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. Kirk was outspoken on political and social issues including race, women and LGBTQ+ issues — often holding debates on college campuses that went viral on social media. Many have labeled him a white supremacist and extremist.

James Gee, a Democratic strategist from Stono Public Affairs, captured what a lot of progressives, and people of color are feeling about reactions to Kirk.

“I think that the sad story that I learned this week is that while people are really afraid to offend other people in the country, nobody’s afraid of offending Black people. So here we have a person that spent a great deal of his time insulting and demeaning Black people and Black culture, separating the accomplishments of Black Americans from the history of America,” he said. “People are actually shocked and offended that Black people … aren’t acknowledging his death. People are having difficulty with responsible Black people who say that how he died was awful and shouldn’t happen, but he was no friend.”

But, for candidates it’s really not that simple. U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11th), the Democrat in the state’s gubernatorial race, had the opportunity to vote on a resolution last week condemning the Kirk killing and rejecting political violence. Progressive members of the New Jersey delegation voted against that resolution.

Sherrill voted yes, but later posted on X: “Charlie Kirk was advocating for a Christian nationalist government and to roll back the rights of women and Black people. This flies in the face of every value I hold dear and that I fight for — but the constitution protects free speech, even for those I vehemently oppose.”

And that’s where this story got injected into the governor’s race. Republicans called Sherrill out for trying to have it both ways. In the first gubernatorial debate, Her opponent, Republican Jack Ciattarelli, noted Sherrill’s seemingly conflicted actions.

“I think we all have a responsibility to engage in rhetoric that doesn’t divide us and doesn’t promote hate,” said Ciattarelli. “My opponent went down to Washington, voted yes on a resolution to celebrate Charlie Kirk’s life. But, then, within minutes, sent out a statement that basically condemned him. I think that was wrong.”

“The first thing [her response] says to me is she’s trying to be governor,” said Rutgers professor Saladin Ambar, senior scholar at the Eagleton Center on the American Governor. “She’s trying to have the widest possible net to catch votes. If you’re Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman or others in a particular district you have some leeway because you’re really trying to win votes in your district and your district alone. And you’re not worried about someone in Hunterdon County, let’s say.”

Ambar suggested that the danger of answers that require nuance is that voters may interpret them as dodging or inauthentic.

“We see this on the national level with [Kamala] Harris and you see this all the time with politicians of late is that when you don’t present yourself authentically, in terms of what you really believe. Maybe this is where Mikie Sherrill is, maybe she’s some down the middle person on this particular issue but when you come across as inauthentic, or like you’re not really revealing your full self, then I think you run into problems with voters on the left and the right,” he said.

“She is trying to thread the needle and I guess we’ll see whether or not that works,” added Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for Politics at Rider University. “I think [for Republicans] Kirk’s death almost — if they have their way — becomes a rallying cry. It becomes a get out the vote effort. I don’t mean to sound crass about it but you ‘just get out there and win one for the Gipper. Win this for Charlie’ is what it becomes and we’ll see whether or not that’s effective, but that’s what some Republicans are trying to do here. Get out there and win one for Charlie’s sake.”

NJ Spotlight News reached out to several prominent Republicans in the state, who were either unavailable or declined interview requests. But in GOP circles, Kirk is very much a topic of conversation and motivation. Supporters have organized several vigils around the state to honor Kirk, many of which were attended by elected officials and candidates.

With just over a month to go it’s tough to say how much Kirk will still be a part of the state conversation come November. Many agreed that bottom line issues uppermost on voter minds are: taxes; utility bills; rent. That leaves the tougher question of how we all see and treat one another unresolved and ripe for exploitation.