AUGUSTA, Maine – A legislative effort to honor the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk cleared the Maine House without a roll call and without controversy, but it came to a halt in the Maine Senate, last week, after a majority of Democrats moved to indefinitely postpone it.
Monday speaking on WVOM’s George Hill Ric Tyler Show, State Rep. Reagan Paul, (R-Winterport), said the resolution passed through the House smoothly before running into resistance in the upper chamber.
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Paul said that while some lawmakers question whether joint resolutions are the best use of legislative time, such measures are regularly used to recognize people, causes, and events. She noted that Republicans submit only a small share of the joint resolutions considered by the legislature and argued that similar resolutions are routinely accepted without objection.
Paul pointed to other examples of resolutions that have moved forward, including one recognizing the lunar year and another honoring Minnesota lawmakers who were murdered last year. She said the legislature was able in that case to condemn political violence even when there may have been disagreements over political beliefs or values.
By contrast, Paul said Senate Democrats would not extend that same courtesy to Kirk.
She then read the resolution’s summary, which called for lawmakers to condemn “in the strongest possible terms” the assassination of Charlie Kirk, extend condolences and prayers to his family, honor his life, leadership, and legacy, and call on Americans to reject political violence and recommit to respectful debate and shared values.
Paul said she could not understand which part of that language any “rational person” could oppose.
She sharply criticized Assistant Senate Majority Leader Jill Duson, saying Duson began repeating what Paul described as falsehoods and mischaracterizations about Kirk rather than addressing what was actually in the resolution. Paul said that was especially troubling because of Duson’s leadership role in the Senate.
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According to Paul, the Senate Democrats’ decision sent a dangerous message by refusing to stand against political violence when the victim was a conservative. She said that kind of dehumanization creates what she called a “permission structure” for threats and violent rhetoric.
Paul also said she has received death threats and threats of sexual violence in the aftermath of the Senate’s action. She said the threats had become serious enough that she was in contact with Capitol Police and that the FBI was involved in at least one matter.
Asked whether she was all right, Paul said, “God is sovereign,” and framed the moment as part of a larger spiritual struggle. She also said many of the threats were not just local, claiming that a national Democratic socialist Facebook page with millions of followers shared what had happened in Maine and identified her as a sponsor of the resolution.
Still, Paul said Democrats had not won by killing the measure. She argued that Republicans had already made their case in both chambers and had still honored Kirk by speaking openly about his life, message, and legacy.
She also said she holds no hatred in her heart toward those who opposed the resolution and said she prays for them, describing the situation as a matter of “spiritual darkness” and hard-heartedness.
The interview also touched on a photocopied voting sheet circulated in the Senate chamber. Host Rick Tyler asked whether that kind of coordination was common in Augusta. Paul said people would be surprised by what is common practice in both the House and Senate, describing the last day’s events as an unusually obvious display of coordination and saying there is little room for independent thought on the political left.
Paul said she was not returning to Augusta Monday, but planned to go back on Tuesday. Asked how she prepares herself to reenter that environment, she said the experience only strengthens her resolve and deepens her sense of mission.
She said she had submitted the resolution back in October and rejected any suggestion that it was a political stunt. Paul said she believed Kirk should be honored because of the impact she said he had in Maine and beyond, including inspiring many people and influencing public life in the state.
Before ending the segment, Tyler read the names of the Maine senators who voted to indefinitely postpone the resolution, effectively killing it in the Senate.
Those senators were Donna Bailey, Joseph Baldacci, Anne Beebe-Center, Stacy Brenner, Chip Curry, Jill Duson, Nicole Grohoski, Henry Ingwersen, Mark Lawrence, Tim Nangle, Teresa Pierce, Joe Rafferty, Peggy Rotundo, Rachel Talbot Ross, Denise Tepler, Mike Tipping, and Senate President Mattie Daughtry.
