State Reps. Beau Baird (R-Greencastle) and Victoria Garcia Wilburn (D-Fishers), co-chairs of the Indiana Future Caucus, issued a joint statement Thursday condemning the murder of conservative activist and commentator Charlie Kirk on a Utah college campus.

“The murder of Charlie Kirk is a tragedy, and political violence is never okay,” the lawmakers said in a statement. “Taking someone’s life is never an acceptable way to settle differences of opinion.”

The Indiana Future Caucus is a bipartisan group that brings together state lawmakers age 45 and under. Both Baird and Garcia Wilburn stressed that the organization remains committed to rejecting violence and promoting civility in public life.

Earlier this year, the caucus also denounced the killing of a Democratic Minnesota state legislator and her husband. In Thursday’s statement, the co-chairs said the same principle applies regardless of ideology.

“As a nation, we must move beyond this horrifying trend of harming or killing those you disagree with and return to a culture of spirited debate and respect for different viewpoints,” they said. “The Indiana Future Caucus represents the bright tomorrow we can create for Hoosiers — and political violence should not exist in that future.”

The lawmakers also extended condolences to Kirk’s family.
“Our prayers are with Charlie’s wife Erika, his children, and all who loved him during this heartbreaking time,” the statement said.

The Indiana Future Caucus includes 32 millennial members of the General Assembly. The group focuses on bipartisan solutions to issues facing younger generations of Hoosiers.