AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Friday that he will give $1 million to Charlie Kirk’s conservative advocacy organization Turning Point USA to help build chapters in every high school and college campus in Texas.
Patrick, one of the most powerful lawmakers in the state, made the announcement ahead of his appearance at a Turning Point USA event at the University of Houston on Tuesday.
Patrick’s pledge showed Texas Republican leaders’ continued embrace of the conservative outreach organization in the wake of Kirk’s assassination in September on a college campus in Utah. It also comes in a year where the state GOP has exerted its power over state colleges through legislation and political pressure to eradicate progressive ideology and programs.
Patrick posted on social media that he decided to give the money from his $37 million campaign war chest after “a lengthy call” with Turning Point USA executives Thursday.
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“I had not planned to make a donation before the call, but the Lord put it on my heart to make a meaningful contribution to kick start the Texas project,” Patrick said on X.
“Texas has the size and the heart to open more chapters than any other state and more than most countries,” Patrick added. “Let’s get it done for Charlie, and for Texas.”
Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is also running for U.S. Senate, will also be at Tuesday’s University of Houston event. Paxton has spoken at several recent Turning Point USA events, including an event Monday, Nov. 3, at the University of Texas at Austin. Paxton also will be at a Turning Point event on Monday, Nov. 10, at the University of North Texas.
“I’m proud and excited to stand alongside Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick to encourage the next generation of conservative leaders at the University of Houston,” said Attorney General Paxton. “Texas college campuses should be places of open debate, not indoctrination.”
In many conservatives’ eyes, the indoctrination Paxton referenced has taken the form of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, which lawmakers made illegal during the 2023 legislative session. In 2025, the Legislature granted political appointees more power over curriculum and faculty hires.
The result is public campuses that appear to be more susceptible to political pressure than in recent years.
For instance, former Texas A&M University president Mark A. Welsh III resigned in September after Patrick said he had lost confidence in Welsh over his handling of a student’s complaint regarding the teaching of transgender issues in a classroom.
More recently, in the wake of the removal of a top administrative official at the University of Texas at Austin over “ideological differences,” Gov. Greg Abbott said that the state would “end indoctrination and return to education fundamentals at all levels of education.”
“Texas is targeting professors who are more focused on pushing leftist ideologies rather than preparing students to lead our nation,” Abbott said on Oct. 19.
Patrick’s direct support of Turning Point USA could be viewed as another avenue to amplify conservative thought on college campuses in hopes of shifting younger voters to the right. President Donald Trump credited Kirk with growing his support among young voters, especially young men, in the 2024 election.
The group has also reported a surge in interest since Kirk’s death. A recent Turning Point USA event at the University of Mississippi, featuring Vice President JD Vance and Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, drew thousands of students.
The events often feature a debate between attendees and speakers – a hallmark of Kirk’s Turning Point USA strategy.
It was unclear whether Patrick would participate in Q&A with audience members at Tuesday’s event. Paxton did not participate in the debate at the University of Texas at Austin Turning Point USA forum.