Right-wing activist Charlie Kirk debates with CSUN students during his American Comeback tour stop at CSUN in Northridge, Calif., on March 6, 2025. (Photo by Benjamin Hanson / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by BENJAMIN HANSON/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
A roadway and a bridge may soon be named in honor of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA who was assassinated last year.
State Rep. Luke Rankin, R-Laurens, and state Rep. Joe White, R-Newberry asked for a stretch of U.S. Highway 76 in Laurens County to be named in honor of Kirk. State Rep. Daniel Gibson, R-Greenwood, and state Rep. John McCravy, R-Greenwood, asked for the same honor for Highway 378 bridge over Little River in McCormick County.
The Turning Point co-founder was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. His death sparked an outpouring of condolences and condemnation of political violence from across the political spectrum. But Kirk also was criticized for his statements on minorities.
“He would go to college campuses, and he would always start out every single discussion by saying that whoever disagrees with me, you can come to the front of the line and ask me questions. That is not somebody who was afraid to have discussions. Unlike the left that likes to squash out dissent,” Rankin said of Kirk.
State Rep. Luke Rankin (center) and his wife Hope Rankin speak with House staffer Richard Pearce on the floor of the South Carolina House of Representatives on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Tracy Glantz [email protected]
Rankin, 28, denied pushing the resolution had anything to do with staving off a potential primary challenge from his political right.
“I am a young conservative as well. I was inspired by Charlie Kirk my entire life. I looked up to him. I listened to his work every single day. So his passing affected me deeply and profoundly, and will have a lasting impact on the rest of my political career,” Rankin said.
On the House floor, state Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, spoke out against honoring Kirk. In an interview after Thursday’s session, she said Kirk was not deserving of a road or bridge to be named after him and that he had no connection to the state.
“What the man stood for racist, divisive, bigoted, chauvinistic, homophobic. You name it, he was it, and you’re telling me it’s okay to honor somebody like that?” Cobb-Hunter said.
State Representatives Heather Bauer and Gilda Cobb Hunter confer proper to S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster’s State of the State address during a joint session of the legislative delegation on Wednesday Jan. 29, 2025. Tracy Glantz [email protected]
The resolutions still need be approved by the state Senate, where one member can hold up legislation. “We made a statement today in the House that we want to preserve the legacy of Charlie Kirk. So now it obviously heads over to the Senate, and I think the Senate will do the right thing and pass it,” Rankin said.
The moves to honor Kirk also came the same day the House passed a resolution to name the long sought after Interstate 73 after President Donald Trump. The state has not set aside money to build the road that would connect the Myrtle Beach to Interstate 95 via a dedicated interstate.
Democrats on the House floor wanted to honor former President Barack Obama, because $10 million through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act went toward the creation of the highway.
“It is most befitting to honor him with the naming of the highway,” state Rep. John King said of Obama.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham applauded the move to honor Trump, while posting on social media that he would continue to work with U.S. Rep. Russell Fry to secure more federal dollars for the project.
“A great name for South Carolina’s greatest highway project,” Graham posted on social media. “When completed, I-73 will connect the fast-growing Grand Strand area to I-95. Naming it after President Trump makes sense to me, and I’m glad to see this effort move forward.”
Joseph Bustos is a state government and politics reporter at The State. He’s a Northwestern University graduate and previously worked in Illinois covering government and politics. He has won reporting awards in both Illinois and Missouri. He moved to South Carolina in November 2019 and won the Jim Davenport Award for Excellence in Government Reporting for his work in 2022.
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