Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., the far-left Democratic nominee for governor, called Charlie Kirk a Christian nationalist who wanted to roll back the rights of women and black people after the passage of a House resolution honoring the conservative activist.
The House adopted a resolution to honor Kirk’s “life and legacy” Friday, just over a week after he was shot and killed during a college campus speaking event in Utah.
The measure got bipartisan support in a 310-58 vote, with both Democrats and Republicans condemning political violence after Kirk’s assassination.
The vote divided Democrats, however, with 95 lawmakers, including Sherrill, voting to adopt the resolution, 58 voting against it and 22 not voting at all.
“I take my oath to the Constitution seriously. I believe in free speech and that the First Amendment wouldn’t be necessary if it were only meant to cover language we agreed with,” Sherrill said in a statement.
“It is meant to protect people like Charlie Kirk who present vile dissenting views. But it is also meant to protect teachers, doctors and TV comedians who may express views the president doesn’t like.
“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,” she added.
“But the Constitution protects free speech, even for those I vehemently oppose.”
In addition, the lawmaker said President Donald Trump continues to “define hypocrisy.”
“On one hand, he denounced Kirk’s politically motivated killing, while on the other hand, he is instigating a witch hunt worthy of Joseph McCarthy to shut down the free speech rights of anyone who disagrees with Kirk’s racist, anti-American views,” she said.
While condemning Kirk’s murder, she said she will continue to “condemn political violence, racism, attacks on women and the hypocrisy coming from Trump and his acolytes.”
Sherrill has been criticized by Republicans for embracing Zohran Mamdani, a socialist who is the Democratic nominee for the 2025 New York City mayoral election.
“It’s not that hard to disavow socialism, and Mikie Sherrill’s official comments saying she shares the goals of socialist Zohran Mamdani is not only absurd, but it is disqualifying. Period. Full stop,” Republican Governors Association Communications Director Courtney Alexander said in June.
“It should alarm New Jerseyans that Mikie Sherrill, in her words, wants to ‘throw out the old playbook’ and ‘share his voters’ goal.’
“Just a few of Mamdani’s top agenda items include defunding the police, ending cooperation with ICE and government-run grocery stores,” he added.
“New York City’s failures have always become New Jersey’s problems, and Mikie Sherrill’s new embrace of socialist Zohran Mamdani is a terrifying risk New Jerseyans cannot afford.”
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