In a powerful and emotional moment at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix, Arizona, Erika Kirk, CEO of the influential conservative organization, formally endorsed Vice President J.D. Vance for president in the 2028 election.
Speaking during her opening remarks at Turning Point USA’s flagship annual conference, Kirk delivered a message of resolve, faith, and defiance in the face of tragedy, as the conservative movement continues to mourn the assassination of her husband, TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk.
“What I’m inspired by is the fact that Charlie and I, again, will go wherever we need to go, but so will you,” Kirk told the crowd according to Fox News. “That’s why you guys are here. All of you here are because you know you’re saying, ‘I want to do something.’”
“What I have learned so much within these past three months, again, the enemy, that he will never win. We know we’re on the winning side,” she said. “God is so good.”
Kirk said roughly 80 percent of attendees had never attended a TPUSA event before, a stunning statistic that underscores how the assassination has galvanized a new generation of conservative activists — particularly students — across college campuses nationwide.
Then came the moment that sent the arena into a frenzy.
“We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible.”
ERIKA KIRK: “We are going to get my husband’s friend JD Vance elected for 48 in the most resounding way possible.” pic.twitter.com/muAXHbUVKa
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 19, 2025
The endorsement only reinforced what grassroots conservatives have been signaling for months: J.D. Vance is already the clear frontrunner for the post-Trump era.
Earlier this year, Vice President Vance dominated the CPAC 2025 straw poll for the 2028 Republican presidential primary, winning a commanding 61 percent of the vote.
Coming in a distant second was populist firebrand Steve Bannon with 12 percent. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis placed third with 7 percent.
The CPAC straw poll is taken every year at the annual conservative convention. For the past nine years President Trump dominated this poll. 2028 will be different. Trump will be handing the Republican party over to the next MAGA candidate. It will be the first real Republican primary since 2016.
Vice President J.D. Vance is quickly becoming a conservative and MAGA favorite. J.D. is popular with the grassroots and the big money crowd.
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