Turning Point Lost a Red Brick and then The Whole Wall Collapsed
On April 17, 2026, Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk and Donald Trump headlined a major "Build the Red Wall" rally in Phoenix, Arizona. The midterms would be their first major election test since Charlie Kirk was killed in 2025.
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Cut to: On November 4, 2026, Democrats seemed to be headed for the whole trifecta, taking control of the legislature for the first time since 1966.
Republican leaders sought out a scapegoat. Former chair of the Arizona Republican Party Gina Swoboda blamed Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point for their epic losses.
“I don’t know how many times the voters of Arizona have to say no. No, we do not want Turning Point,” Swoboda said on KTAR News.
KTAR pointed out that Turning Point Action endorsed Republicans for “every statewide office on Arizona’s ballot. Andy Biggs lost the governor’s race, as did the group’s candidates for attorney general and secretary of state. Meanwhile, its candidates for treasurer, schools superintendent, Corporation Commission and state Senate trailed in unofficial results Wednesday. Endorsed state Senate candidates in swing districts, including Shawnna Bolick, Carine Werner and T.J. Shope, were also behind.”
Turning Point bragged about their "Build the Red Wall" campaign to lock down key western and swing states, including Arizona, Nevada, and New Hampshire, citing their 2024 electoral performance, with Trump declaring, “In 2024, Turning Point’s grassroots army helped us win Arizona in an absolute landslide.”
But the grassroots army didn’t show up in Arizona. They didn’t show up anywhere.