By Jim Mishler | Friday, 07 November 2025 03:25 PM EST
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced Friday he is allocating $1 million from his campaign funds to establish chapters of Turning Point USA, the organization founded by the slain conservative leader Charlie Kirk, at every Texas college and high school campus.
In a social media post, Patrick revealed he discussed the initiative with Turning Point executives on Thursday. The Texas Tribune noted the scale of the effort, as Texas operates over 1,200 school systems serving 5.5 million students and more than 200 colleges.
Patrick stated, “I had not planned to make a donation before the call, but the Lord put it on my heart to make a meaningful contribution to kick-start the Texas project.” He emphasized Texas’s potential, saying, “Texas has the size and the heart to open more chapters than any other state and more than most countries. Let’s get it done for Charlie, and for Texas.”
Kirk, 31, was killed in September while speaking at a Utah college campus. He founded Turning Point USA as an 18-year-old, aiming to mobilize young conservatives on campuses to advocate for their views. The group grew into a major force of conservative activism, drawing criticism from opponents. Since Kirk’s murder, momentum has surged among young conservatives nationwide.
Patrick also announced plans to speak at a Turning Point event on Tuesday night at the University of Houston alongside Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is seeking the Republican Senate primary. Paxton has increasingly appeared at Turning Point events, including a recent speech at the University of Texas at Austin.
“Texas college campuses should be places of open debate, not indoctrination,” Paxton said in a statement. He praised young conservatives for “speaking truth boldly, defend[ing] freedom, and challeng[ing] leftist echo chambers.”
Tyler James Robinson, 22, is jailed in Utah on charges including aggravated murder in Kirk’s killing, along with felony firearm discharge, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and committing a violent offense near a child. Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty.
