Exclusive: Chesterfield School Board member to resign after Charlie Kirk post
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Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, at a conference earlier this year. Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Chesterfield School Board member Dot Heffron is planning to resign after a political firestorm over a social media post about Charlie Kirk's killing, Axios has learned.
The big picture: Heffron's post drew hundreds of calls for her to step down — including from Virginia Gov. Youngkin, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and her fellow Chesterfield board members.
- The private Instagram story on Wednesday, which Heffron says she posted before learning Kirk had died, referenced violence against Nazis.
- It was circulated widely after appearing on Libs of TikTok, a conservative Twitter account with over 4.4 million followers, and was picked up by Fox News and other Republican-led accounts nationwide.
Driving the news: Heffron, who has represented the Clover Hill District since 2019 and whose term wasn't up until 2028, exclusively told Axios on Sunday that she'll resign Dec. 31.
- She said stepping down then will give the board time to find a replacement and limit disruption to its work.
- The school board accepted Heffron's resignation Sunday night, per a statement.
What they're saying: "It was never my intention to make light of violence or to suggest that harm to anyone is ever acceptable," Heffron wrote in a statement first shared with Axios.
- "I especially want to extend my sincerest condolences to the family, friends, and loved ones of Charlie Kirk," she wrote.
- "Regardless of political differences, every life is valuable, and every loss is devastating. My words failed to honor that truth, and I am truly sorry."
Zoom in: Heffron tells Axios the fallout has been life-altering.
- Sheriff's deputies checked on her at home after her address was shared online, leading her to scramble to make sure her family was safe.
- Then she says she began fielding death threats via hundreds of emails and voicemails.
- "I don't know if resigning will make that stop," she says. "My brain is still struggling to make sense of the volume of people, the volume of hateful posts and calls for violence against me."
Zoom out: People across Virginia, and the country, are facing calls to resign over social media posts about Kirk that were publicized by conservative activists.
- Some teachers, including in Newport News, have already been placed on leave.
- Virginia's State Superintendent Anne Gullickson has said the state Board of Education "stands ready" to revoke the teaching licenses of educators "celebrating or condoning political violence."
Meanwhile, Heffron's post has become a talking point in the Virginia governor's race.
- Earle-Sears, Virginia's Republican gubernatorial nominee, has called on Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger to condemn Heffron's comment.
- Spanberger has denounced "making light of violence."
What we're watching: The school board has 15 days to petition a court to schedule a new election to fill Heffron's seat, per the Virginia School Boards Association and state law.
Go deeper: Youngkin and GOP push Dot Heffron to resign now, not December