Jake Hoffman delivered an emotional tribute to his slain friend Charlie Kirk, recalling his decade-long mission-driven leadership, Christ-like humility, and refusal to engage in political pettiness, while urging Americans to carry on Kirk’s legacy of faith, unity, and love in the wake of his shocking assassination.

The wave of grief following the shocking assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has brought tributes from allies across the political spectrum, but few have struck as deeply as the heartfelt message delivered by Arizona State Senator Jake Hoffman.

A longtime friend and collaborator of Kirk’s, Hoffman recounted a decade of shared work, laughter, and faith, painting a portrait not of a fiery agitator, but of a man who consciously rose above political pettiness to focus on what he considered a divine mission.

“I spent 10 years with Charlie Kirk,” Hoffman said in a statement released late Thursday.

“There were many things that were uniquely exceptional about my friend Charlie.

His historic intellect.

His unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

His burning passion for Jesus.

But one of the traits that rarely gets highlighted is Charlie’s ability to keep the important thing the important thing.”

The comments arrived as conservative communities across the country grapple with Kirk’s death, which has already sparked speculation, anger, and a fresh wave of rallies in his name.

While Turning Point USA, the organization Kirk founded at age 18, has vowed to continue his nationwide campus tour and radio show, Hoffman sought to remind the movement of what made Kirk extraordinary in his eyes: an unwavering refusal to be dragged into the political drama that consumes so many others.

“Charlie never cared about the pettiness and drama of the conservative movement,” Hoffman explained.

“This is incredibly rare within politics, on both sides of the aisle.

Politics, at its core, is most often treated as a game of jockeying for position, power, influence, money, acclaim, celebrity, and credit.

Not for Charlie.

He didn’t care about any of that.”

According to Hoffman, Kirk endured repeated attempts from rivals inside the conservative ecosystem to provoke him into feuds.

“I remember times throughout our 10-year friendship and working partnership where various figures in the movement tried to create beef with Charlie for whatever minor, petty reason was flavor of the day,” Hoffman recalled.

“Charlie never engaged.

He never took it personally.

And he never let it negatively impact the mission.”

Instead, Hoffman said, Kirk exemplified what he described as a Christ-like commitment to reconciliation.

He often extended speaking invitations, collaborative opportunities, and open doors even to those who had publicly criticized him.

“Charlie exemplified what Jesus meant to turn the other cheek,” Hoffman said.

“He never sought retribution or vengeance.

Charlie simply kept his eyes focused on the mission God had called him to and continued to love those around him like Jesus loves each of us.”

The senator emphasized that this approach was not weakness but strength — a strategic commitment to coalition-building that, in his view, kept the conservative movement united even amid internal divisions.

“And inevitably, in every instance, the unyielding love he showed those people resulted in mended bridges and renewed relationships,” Hoffman added.

For Hoffman, Kirk’s leadership was not about celebrity or personal gain but about ensuring that conservative principles like opportunity, equality, and liberty remained at the forefront of America’s cultural and political battles.

“Charlie never cared about the drama and pettiness of the conservative movement, because he was mission-focused on the objective of the conservative movement — returning America to its rightful place as the shining city atop the hill,” he said.

Kirk’s death has already sparked fierce debate in the halls of power and across social media.

Critics have pointed to his controversial style and Turning Point USA’s combative approach as polarizing, while supporters insist his message was rooted in faith, patriotism, and the belief that America’s founding ideals remain worth defending.

Hoffman’s statement, however, sought to lift the conversation above that fray, portraying Kirk as someone whose faith informed every action.

“Charlie’s heart for the movement was unshakeable because he knew, deep down in his bones, that the principles of opportunity, equality, and liberty are the principles that enable all mankind here on this earth to prosper in unimaginable ways,” Hoffman said.

Closing with a call to action, Hoffman declared, “We are all Charlie Kirk now.

His legacy lives on in each of us.

So let us take up this mantle to love one another and keep the important thing the important thing.”

As Kirk’s supporters prepare for memorial services and Turning Point USA moves to keep his initiatives alive, Hoffman’s words have been widely shared online as both a tribute and a challenge.

For those mourning Kirk’s loss, the senator’s message resonates as a reminder that, in his eyes, Charlie Kirk’s most enduring legacy may not be the controversies he sparked but the bridges he built — and the faith that guided him through it all.