The nation’s political divide widened after the killing of conservative talk show host Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10.
The division was evident in the calls for firings of educators and others who may have made disparaging remarks about the Kirk shooting. In the aftermath of the violence at Utah Valley University, many lawmakers from South Carolina were among those voices. U.S. Sens. Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham also weighed in on the killing with speeches at political events and appearances on national television.
Here is a recap how South Carolina politicians have responded to Kirk’s death in the week following the shooting for About Politics.
Calls for the firing of educators
The campaign team for Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, sent out a press release on Sept. 17, saying the congresswoman is leading the fight to hold schools responsible for posts made by their educators about Kirk’s death.
“Charlie Kirk was a husband, a father, and a man of faith. His legacy deserves our utmost respect, and any educator who mocks his murder has no business shaping the minds of the next generation,” Mace said in a statement.
The congresswoman asked people to send her screenshots of professors, medical staff or businessowners who have posted in celebration of Kirk’s death for vetting on Sept. 14.
“Have you seen South Carolinians who support murder in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination? Do they work with kids or at schools or daycares, or colleges and universities, or work at hospitals or medical facilities, or own businesses?” Mace said in a post. “Post the screenshot below. We will vet and we will report any and all as appropriate.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina called out Mace and Rep. Russell Fry, R-South Carolina, for demanding schools fire teachers for comments made about Kirk’s death. The group called this an intimidation tactic and said that free speech, even when it is controversial, is worth protecting.
Mace calls for censure of Minnesota lawmaker
Mace engaged in a social media back-and-forth with Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, in the aftermath of Kirk’s death and has called for the House to censure Omar. The Hill reports that the feud started after Omar did an interview with Mehdi Hasan, a British-American journalist.
Omar was answering a question about politicians who claim violence is a left-winged problem, despite the targeting of Democratic politicians like Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Omar herself, in the interview with Hasan.
“Charlie was someone who once said guns save lives after a school shooting. Charlie was someone who was willing to debate and downplay the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police,” Omar said to Hasan. “I think there are a lot of people who are out there talking about him just wanting to have a civil debate, a complete rewriting of history.”
Mace filed a resolution on Sept. 15 to censure Omar and strip the Minnesota lawmaker of all committee assignments, claiming that her comments mocked Kirk’s death.
“Ilhan Omar has shown us exactly who she is: someone who defends political violence and refuses to condemn the loss of innocent lives when it doesn’t suit her agenda, even the cold-blooded assassination of Charlie Kirk,” Mace said in a statement. “If you mock a political assassination and celebrate murder, you don’t get to keep your committee seat, you get consequences.”
Omar has defended herself against Mace, saying that the Mace’s comments are an attempt for fundraise for her governor’s campaign.
“Fun fact: Nancy Mace is trying to censure me over comments I never said,” Omar posted on X. “This is all an attempt to push a false story so she can fundraise and boost her run for Governor.
The lieutenant governor calls for end of tenure
Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette called for an end of tenure in response to posts made by college faculty members over Kirk’s death. Tenure status for teachers and professors helps give them base job protections, making it more challenging for an academic institution to fire them.
“Action delayed is action denied. The days of tenured professors at South Carolina’s colleges and universities must come to an end,” Evette posted on X. “Taxpayers should not be forced to bankroll hateful, far-left indoctrination.”
More: What’s at stake for SC universities as legislators want to review the tenure system?
Evette’s call is not the first time South Carolina lawmakers have tried to change the tenure system. Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, wrote legislation titled the “Cancelling Professor Tenure Act” for the 2021-2022 legislative session, which would have banned public higher learning institutions from awarding tenure or entering employment contracts for durations longer than five years. The bill never moved past committee.
Sen. Tim Scott urges peace at annual prayer breakfast
Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, hosted his 15th annual South Carolina Prayer Breakfast on Sept. 16. This event was held in Washington D.C. as a way to bring together faith leaders and elected officials from South Carolina.
Scott used the event to acknowledge Kirk’s death and talk about overcoming evil with good and through faith.
“It’s incredibly important that we take a step back from the ‘who’ and take a step forward into looking into the mirror and asking ourselves — how do we as individuals not be overcome with evil, but instead overcome evil with good?” Scott said. “The first way we do that from my perspective is to take the responsibility of how we respond in the face of crisis.”
Lindsey Graham appears on Meet the Press
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sept. 14. Host Kristen Welker started off the interview saying Graham was on the NBC program the day after the first assassination attempt against President Donald Trump. She asked the senator what his message was to people at this moment in time.
Graham first offered condolences to Charlie Kirk’s wife and went on to say that political violence like the attack on Gabby Gifford in 2011 and on Minnesota politicians this summer were senseless — but he sees the Kirk’s killing as different.
“I see this as an attack on a political movement. I see this being different. Charlie Kirk is one of the top three people in the country that allowed President Trump to win in 2024 by his efforts,” Graham said.
The senator later said there is an effort by the radical left “to dehumanize the MAGA movement.”
“If you are offended by what somebody says or does, then take up a political cause to fight back, not a gun, not a bomb, not a knife,” Graham said.
Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com