Christian lobbying group wants to rename Idaho highway after Charlie Kirk

Idaho Highway 16. | Courtesy Idaho Transportation Department BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — A conservative Christian lobbying group said it’s working with Idaho state lawmakers to rename a state highway after Charlie Kirk. The 31-year-old conservative activist was fatally shot in September while speaking at a university event in Utah. The Idaho Family Policy Center aims to designate the Treasure Valley’s Idaho 16 highway as the “Charlie Kirk Memorial Highway,” it said in a Tuesday news release. “Our state should recognize Charlie’s legacy and stand up to those who would kill us for sharing our Christian faith and our political viewpoints,” Blaine Conzatti, the center’s president, said in the statement. “Renaming the highway will serve as a reminder that free speech and the Christian faith are vital for a functioning constitutional republic — and that we ought never tolerate political violence as a response to robust civil discourse.” The center is working with state lawmakers to introduce a bill in January, at the beginning of the legislative session, to change the highway’s name. Madison Toves, a spokesperson for the center, declined to comment on which lawmakers would introduce the bill. The change would need to be passed by both chambers of the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Brad Little, said Jill Youmans, a spokesperson for the Idaho Transportation Department. So far, no one has directly approached the department about the proposal, she told the Idaho Statesman by email. The Legislature has renamed highways or bridges in the state nine times in memory of specific people with connections to Idaho, according to state code. Seven of those times, it did so in honor of military veterans. On other occasions, it renamed roads for a local politician and for a journalist. Kirk, who is from Illinois, founded Turning Point USA, an Arizona-based nonprofit that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college and university campuses. He participated in events at Boise State University in 2021 and 2025, according to the Family Policy Center’s release. During speaking events, Kirk defended right-wing populist and nationalist ideas that were popular among supporters of President Donald Trump. He invited students to challenge him on his views about immigration, abortion and other hot-button topics. He was critical of gay and transgender rights, the separation of church and state and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, whose passage he called a “mistake.” He said the law had been turned into an anti-white weapon, The New York Times reported. He accused Jews of financing anti-white sentiment and called Islam a danger to the U.S. At a 2021 event he hosted in Nampa, an audience member asked: “When do we get to use the guns?” “We are close to having momentum to be able to get this country back on a trajectory using the peaceful means that we have,” Kirk responded. “We have to be the ones that do not play into the violent aims and ambitions of the other side.” In September, Idaho politicians were outspoken against Kirk’s killing. “Idahoans vehemently condemn this violence,” Little posted on X. U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo called the killing a “vile and reprehensible act of political violence.” “Political violence is unacceptable,” Lauren Necochea, the head of the Idaho Democratic Party, posted on X. “Always.”The post Christian lobbying group wants to rename Idaho highway after Charlie Kirk appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com