MESA, Ariz. — More than a hundred people gathered at a neighborhood park for Turning Point Action’s birthday celebration in Charlie Kirk’s honor on Tuesday evening.
They were there to pay homage to the recently slain conservative activist, who was killed at an event at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
Many of the volunteers stayed to knock doors, also in honor of Kirk.
Standing underneath the TP Action tent, with balloons attached to the sides, Dorean Taylor spoke to the attendees, most of whom wore red for Kirk.
Taylor is running for a seat on Mesa City Council against two-term council member Julie Spilsbury, who faces a recall vote after TP Action organized volunteers to collect more than 3,070 signatures to force the vote.
Volunteers treated themselves to a slice of one of the four cakes — two chocolate and two vanilla — and a whole lot of Panda Express, laid out by the TP Action team for the birthday celebration, as they listened to Taylor’s brief remarks.
As the White House awarded Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously on Tuesday, these volunteers said they hoped to live up to the late political activist’s legacy.
Taylor said she was a ballot chaser for Turning Point Action in the last presidential election. “This is how I learned about the local level of government,” she said. “The local level affects everybody, whether it’s culturally, societally or financially.”
Remembering Kirk on his birthday
The recall election, which ends on Nov. 4, comes less than a year after Spilsbury was elected to the council with 66% support.
Her opponents targeted her in part for her voting record — but also because she supported Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election.
Spilsbury was joined by fellow Arizona Republicans, including former GOP Sen. Jeff Flake and former Mesa Mayor John Giles, in her support for Harris.
At the park in Mesa, Lacey Nagao, the national director for Chase the Vote at Turning Point Action, asked attendees to get at least 10 people to vote in the upcoming city council election.
“I know he’s looking down today and he is so proud of everything that we’re doing,” she said of Kirk.
As people threw away their used paper plates, grabbed buttons and flyers and dispersed for the door knocking, Nagao briefly spoke to the Deseret News.
“The fact that it’s Charlie’s 32nd birthday,” she said, wiping away tears, “I never thought that this would be the case.”
Nagao said Turning Point Action helped build up the Republican infrastructure in the state, and said she wanted to continue to help that grow.
“I’m going to have cake in true Charlie Kirk fashion. He wouldn’t want us to be sad. … He would want us to go out and chase the ballots and get the right people in office.”
How is Julie Spilsbury responding to recall effort?
The flyers volunteers distributed highlighted Taylor’s platform: better roads, safer communities, an end to homelessness and lower taxes.
Spilsbury issued a response to Taylor’s campaign last week.
In a lengthy Facebook post on Oct. 10, Spilsbury wrote about her duties as a city councilwoman, from making tough calls on the budget to meeting with and understanding the needs of different constituents.
“Did you hear me mention anything about being a Republican or a Democrat?” she said. “No, you didn’t. Because this job isn’t about party politics. It’s about representing everyone in Mesa.”
TP Action put “Spilsbury Supports Harris” signs in her neighborhood, she said, adding she believes Taylor will prioritize the interests of only one group of constituents.
“Let’s be very clear: this forced special election is not about local governance. It’s not about zoning cases or city services. It’s about one group demanding total ideological control. They don’t want thoughtful discussion or diverse opinions. They want political loyalty,” Spilsbury said. “That’s not how city government should work.”
Chasing the vote with Turning Point Action
As Spilsbury faces the recall effort against her, TP Action is going full steam to get Taylor elected.
A group of five volunteers set out to knock on doors and hit their goal before sundown.
Tex Polesky, Chase the Vote manager in the Gila River area at TP Action, led the group, having the credentials to do so after spending about 10 years with Kirk’s organization. He was a member of the first two Turning Point USA chapters at Arizona State University and the University of Arizona.
Polesky dove into his pitch as soon as someone opened the door, describing Taylor and what he believes she’ll do for Mesa.
“She actually worked for Turning Point last year. She knocked doors for President Donald Trump to get him reelected,” Polesky says in his pitch, always ending it by encouraging the voter to mail in their ballot.
As the group complained about mosquitoes, Polesky chimed in saying, “This is why you always wear jeans,” even if it’s June in Arizona. He paired his jeans with cowboy boots and a white T-shirt.
“Last time I didn’t wear jeans was for a fancy-schmancy party for Kari Lake and she yelled at me for not wearing them. I walked in with a suit and tie and she was like, ‘Tex, where the hell are your jeans?’” he said.
That’s not the only tip he offered others.
“Never forget the rule regarding gates in Arizona. If it’s open, you can go through. If it’s closed, it’s trespassing,” he said.
Another one was: “Don’t just say Turning Point because some people don’t know about it. Almost everyone knows Charlie Kirk.”
And lastly, “Seven o’clock is usually my cutoff. After 7 o’clock, people get a little iffy about someone knocking on their door,” said Polesky.
Among this small group, Armaani Gonzalez, a TP Action volunteer who is also involved with the Gen Z Coalition, smiled as he knocked on doors.
Gonzalez told the Deseret News about a few tips and tricks of the trade. Pointing to his black “Jesus Saves” hat, he said it works better at disarming people compared to MAGA hats that can be “a little intimidating” to certain people.
Then there’s Robby Cooker, a Navy veteran. He told the Deseret News that he always paid attention to politics but after Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10, he wanted to do more. So he’s been chasing ballots alongside other volunteers.
“It’s been rewarding and a lot of fun,” he said.
Roughly 10 minutes into the canvassing, Polesky and Gonzalez took a short break to pet a Siamese cat. The owner next door yelled out that Little Boy, the furry creature, was friendly.
“What’s the number of the house across the street?” asked Amber Kleinke, a field representative with Turning Point USA for the past four years, bringing the group back to their task at hand. She held an iPad and checked off names and numbers on her list.
In a post on X Tuesday night, Kleinke said the five of them managed to add 18 ballots in support of Taylor.
“Big shout out to Polesky for his door knocking skills,” she added.