Conservatives turn table on Red State Dem over Charile Kirk posts

A Democrat running to be the top law enforcement official in the state of Ohio is facing backlash for a series of social media posts disparaging Charlie Kirk in the days after the conservative activist was assassinated. 

"F*** Charlie Kirk," Elliot Forhan, Ohio Democratic candidate for attorney general and former state representative, posted on Facebook on Monday, days after Kirk was gunned down while speaking to a large gathering of students at a Utah university. 

"Charlie Kirk was a champion of tyranny, not democracy," Forhan said in another post. "We should not pretend otherwise."

In another Facebook entry, Forhan shared an article with the headline, "Charlie Kirk was a champion of tyranny, not democracy. We should not pretend otherwise."

Forhan’s social media posts have prompted significant pushback, both on the internet and from Republicans in the state, with many calling on him to withdraw from the race.

"No public servant should say that about any human being, much less somebody who was just assassinated," Ohio’s current attorney general, Republican Dave Yost, told Fox News Digital. "He just proved himself to be a petulant and undisciplined child, ill-suited to public office."

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, told Fox News Digital that Forhan’s posts are "probably demented publicity designed to get attention" and "score cheap political points."

LaRose added that "this kind of rhetoric" is becoming more "mainstream" in today’s Democratic Party.

"But this kind of rhetoric is becoming all too mainstream in the Democratic Party, and this is coming from a person seeking to become their nominee for a top statewide office," LaRose continued. "This guy was literally the target of a law enforcement investigation that called his behavior ‘a credible risk of escalating to violence or violent conduct.’ He should be watched carefully and denounced aggressively. Elliot Forhan and people like him are quickly becoming the face of the Democratic Party."

Fox News Digital also spoke to Ohio attorney and Republican National Committee (RNC) surrogate Mehek Cooke, who said Forhan "must immediately withdraw" from the attorney general race.

"Ohio’s top law enforcement officer must serve as a guardian and defender of justice, not a cheerleader for violence," Cooke said. "A man who celebrates murder cannot lecture anyone on equality, fairness, or justice, let alone serve Ohioans. This is moral rot that we won’t tolerate."

"Violence is wrong," Forhan said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

"That was my very first statement when I learned that Charlie Kirk was murdered. My thoughts and prayers were and still are with his family and loved ones. Glorifying Kirk and his movement of bigotry and violence is also wrong, yet many public figures and even NFL teams are engaging in it. People are being fired from their jobs and terrorized by the Trump administration for repeating Charlie Kirk’s own words."

Forhan continued, "The Vice President himself is targeting Americans from the host chair of Kirk’s podcast. I expressed anger over the whitewashing of Kirk’s legacy of bigotry and hate. That is my First Amendment right."

Forhan said that he has been "targeted" by conservative social media influencers online.

"I've received now thousands of vile comments, texts, emails, and voicemails," Forhan said. "I stand together with the people whom Charlie Kirk targeted and whom the Trump administration and other Republicans are targeting today."

Forhan also told Fox News Digital that Yost should resign from office and LaRose should drop out of the race for state auditor for "glorifying the racism and bigotry" of Kirk. 

In the wake of Kirk's death, numerous individuals both in government and the private sector have been publicly called out on social media for posting comments mocking or celebrating the death of the conservative activist.

The White House is seeking additional security funds from Congress for the executive and judicial branches as it navigates the aftermath of the assassination, Fox News Digital reported this week.