More than 6 in 10 registered voters said “extreme political rhetoric used by some in the media and by political leaders” was an important contributor to the killing of conservative leader Charlie Kirk earlier this year, according to the latest NBC News poll.
Respondents were asked about various attacks on political figures from the last 15 years, including the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in 2011, the shooting of Rep. Steve Scalise in 2017, and the killing of Kirk in September 2025.
The survey posed the question: “Do you feel more that extreme political rhetoric used by some in the media and by political leaders was an important contributor to the incident, or do you feel more this is an incident caused by a disturbed person?”
Overall, 61% of respondents said they feel that extreme political rhetoric played an important role in Kirk’s killing.
By contrast, 28% said they believe the incident was more “caused by a disturbed person.” An additional 4% volunteered they thought it was some of both.
Republicans placed the greatest blame on rhetoric, but independents and Democrats were also significantly more likely to cite extreme political rhetoric as a factor than to dismiss it:
— Republicans: 73% blame rhetoric, 19% blame a lone “disturbed person”
— Democrats: 54% blame rhetoric, 34% blame one person
— Independents: 53% blame rhetoric, 28% blame one person
The survey represents the first time in 15 years of NBC News polling on major political attacks that majorities across parties have agreed rhetoric played an important contributing role, rather than attributing violence to the actions of a lone individual.
Kirk was allegedly killed by Tyler Robinson, 22, after being shot during a campus event in Utah.
Investigators found text messages in which Robinson wrote he “had enough of his hatred,” in apparent reference to Kirk, according to documents filed by the Utah County prosecutor.
The investigation has not uncovered evidence tying Robinson to left-wing groups, though his mother told authorities he had “started to lean more to the left” in the year before the shooting.
President Donald Trump and his administration have publicly blamed left-wing extremism for Kirk’s assassination.
“We have to talk about this incredibly destructive movement of left-wing extremism … and I believe is part of the reason why Charlie was killed by an assassin’s bullet,” Vice President JD Vance said while hosting Kirk’s show shortly after the killing.
On the same program, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said the administration would “use every resource we have” to combat what he called a “vast domestic terror movement.”
The survey places the Kirk assassination within a broader surge in political violence this year.
Other high-profile incidents include an arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence in April, the June killing of former Minnesota state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and a September shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas that killed immigrants in custody.
NBC News has previously polled Americans after several political attacks, including the 2011 shooting of Giffords, the 2022 hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, and the 2024 attempted assassination of Trump.
While partisan divisions were sharp in those cases, especially after the Pelosi attack and the second attempt on Trump’s life, views have shifted over time, with more respondents blaming rhetoric in each successive incident.
The NBC News poll surveyed 1,000 registered voters from Oct. 24-28 via telephone interviews and an online text-message survey. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
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