Sen. Mitch McConnell officially has a 2014 challenger... Is he a future conservative leader?

We all know how much Glenn would like to see Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) voted out of the Senate next year, and on radio this morning Glenn interviewed Sen. McConnell’s Republican primary challenger, Matt Bevin. Today is the day Matt will officially file all the necessary paperwork to begin his campaign, and he spoke to Glenn about what his experience has been like thus far and what his hopes are in this race.

“We have Matt Bevin on, candidate for U.S. Senate out of Kentucky. The people that I trust at the Senate Conservatives Fund called [him] the best constitutional candidate they have seen… and they have endorsed [him],” Glenn said. “Today you are filling out the paperwork to officially run for U.S. Senate and go up against Mitch McConnell?”

“This is indeed the day. This is the day that he has tried very desperately to prevent from happening,” Matt said. “When we the people actually are going to stand up and offer folks a true choice in this primary. So it's an exciting day here in Kentucky.”

Running against any incumbent is an uphill battle, but going up against someone so entrenched in the GOP establishment, who will undoubtedly have a huge war chest, will be no easy task. Glenn asked Matt quite frankly if he actually believed he could pose a real threat to Sen. McConnell.

“The irony is I think it will be harder to beat him in the primary than it will be to beat the Democrat in the general. I have heard from a number of Democrats who are switching parties because they don't vote Democrat in the general [election] anyway, and a number of Democrats who have said, ‘I can't switch, won't switch, but I'll be with you, you know, for May 21, [2014] on." I've had people working in an Alison Grimes [D-KY] booth wearing an Alison Grimes T-shirt come up to me and say, ‘I'm going to be voting for you.’ So there's not a lot of enthusiasm for her,” Matt explained. “I think the fact is: We need to eat this elephant one bite at a time. And I think we will continue to take steps forward. Every time I'm on your show, I know you always chuckle when I say the name of my website, but I kid you not, Glenn, I can't tell you how grateful I am for the amazing bounce that it gets every time I mention MattBevin.com. People come. Your listeners are enthused, they are engaged, and I appreciate that, I really do.”

While Matt understands he is up against the GOP machine, he believes this election will boil down to a fight between limited-government and progressivism.

“But in reality what we are seeing is a battle for the heart and soul, not only of the Republican Party, but for the entire political process because what we are seeing in this race is a microcosm of what's happening nationally – a battle for whether we the people truly still have a voice and choose to exercise that voice,” Matt said. “Or will we be apathetic? Will we sit on our hands? And will we sit back and wait for the handful to self-propagate and self-select to tell us when and where and how we should line up? And I think it is my job to use the best of my abilities to be a good steward of the talents and skill that I have to exercise the will of the people by being in this race and being their voice. This is a battle between progressivism and limited government, between sometimes paying attention to the Constitution or recognizing it as the law of the land.”

Glenn was quick to warn Matt that it is simple to campaign on the message of being a conservative voice and standing up for the Constitution, but once you arrive in Washington, the political game makes it a difficult promise to follow through on.

“I was called into the oval office and the President was a little pissy – it was Bush. And he said to me, ‘Don't worry because whoever gets in after me will pretty much do exactly the same thing because they will see that the president's hands are tied. So no matter who it is, doesn’t matter if it's, you know, the guy who became president or Hillary Clinton, it won't matter because they will do almost the same thing,’” Glenn explained. “He tried to say that as a comforting thing. I found that horrifying. Why is it we should believe you – that you're not going to go in and just become the same thing and realize and be convinced that your hands are tied, Matt?”

“There's a difference between people who go to cast votes and people who go to be a voice. My pledge to people is to be a voice. I can't promise that I'm going to do everything perfectly or that 100% of people will always be happy – but rather than just to go vote, I will be a voice to fight for the American people, to fight for conservative values, to fight for limited government, to fight for a restoration of our Constitution and of every one of our constitutional rights that has been eroded,” Matt said emphatically. “I am married, Glenn. I have a wife who loves me. I have nine children who love me. I have a dog that loves me. I am not going to Washington to make friends. I am willing to be the guy who stands there, as folks like Ted Cruz have recently done, and get my teeth kicked in to do the right thing.”

MattBevin.com, running in Kentucky for the U.S. Senate against Mitch McConnell,” Glenn concluded. “Matt, good to have you on and we wish you luck as you file papers today to officially announce your candidacy for U.S. Senate.”

Watch the entire interview below:

The West is dying—Will we let enemies write our ending?

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The blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, and soldiers built our civilization. Their sacrifice demands courage in the present to preserve it.

Lamentations asks, “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?”

That question has been weighing on me heavily. Not just as a broadcaster, but as a citizen, a father, a husband, a believer. It is a question that every person who cares about this nation, this culture, and this civilization must confront: Is all of this worth saving?

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

Western civilization — a project born in Judea, refined in Athens, tested in Rome, reawakened in Wittenberg, and baptized again on the shores of Plymouth Rock — is a gift. We didn’t earn it. We didn’t purchase it. We were handed it. And now, we must ask ourselves: Do we even want it?

Across Europe, streets are restless. Not merely with protests, but with ancient, festering hatred — the kind that once marched under swastikas and fueled ovens. Today, it marches under banners of peace while chanting calls for genocide. Violence and division crack societies open. Here in America, it’s left against right, flesh against spirit, neighbor against neighbor.

Truth struggles to find a home. Even the church is slumbering — or worse, collaborating.

Our society tells us that everything must be reset: tradition, marriage, gender, faith, even love. The only sin left is believing in absolute truth. Screens replace Scripture. Entertainment replaces education. Pleasure replaces purpose. Our children are confused, medicated, addicted, fatherless, suicidal. Universities mock virtue. Congress is indifferent. Media programs rather than informs. Schools recondition rather than educate.

Is this worth saving? If not, we should stop fighting and throw up our hands. But if it is, then we must act — and we must act now.

The West: An idea worth saving

What is the West? It’s not a location, race, flag, or a particular constitution. The West is an idea — an idea that man is made in the image of God, that liberty comes from responsibility, not government; that truth exists; that evil exists; and that courage is required every day. The West teaches that education, reason, and revelation walk hand in hand. Beauty matters. Kindness matters. Empathy matters. Sacrifice is holy. Justice is blind. Mercy is near.

We have squandered this inheritance. We forgot who we were — and our enemies are eager to write our ending.

If not now, when? If not us, who? If this is worth saving, we must know why. Western civilization is worth dying for, worth living for, worth defending. It was built on the blood of martyrs, prophets, poets, pilgrims, moms, dads, and soldiers. They did not die for markets, pronouns, surveillance, or currency. They died for something higher, something bigger.

MATTHIEU RONDEL/AFP via Getty Images | Getty Images

Yet hope remains. Resurrection is real — not only in the tomb outside Jerusalem, but in the bones of any individual or group that returns to truth, honor, and God. It is never too late to return to family, community, accountability, and responsibility.

Pick up your torch

We were chosen for this time. We were made for a moment like this. The events unfolding in Europe and South Korea, the unrest and moral collapse, will all come down to us. Somewhere inside, we know we were called to carry this fire.

We are not called to win. We are called to stand. To hold the torch. To ask ourselves, every day: Is it worth standing? Is it worth saving?

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Pick up your torch. If you choose to carry it, buckle up. The work is only beginning.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Stop coasting: How self-education can save America’s future

Joe Raedle / Staff | Getty Images

Coasting through life is no longer an option. Charlie Kirk’s pursuit of knowledge challenges all of us to learn, act, and grow every day.

Last year, my wife and I made a commitment: to stop coasting, to learn something new every day, and to grow — not just spiritually, but intellectually. Charlie Kirk’s tragic death crystallized that resolve. It forced a hard look in the mirror, revealing how much I had coasted in both my spiritual and educational life. Coasting implies going downhill. You can’t coast uphill.

Last night, my wife and I re-engaged. We enrolled in Hillsdale College’s free online courses, inspired by the fact that Charlie had done the same. He had quietly completed around 30 courses before I even knew, mastering the classics, civics, and the foundations of liberty. Watching his relentless pursuit of knowledge reminded me that growth never stops, no matter your age.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures.

This lesson is particularly urgent for two groups: young adults stepping into the world and those who may have settled into complacency. Learning is life. Stop learning, and you start dying. To young adults, especially, the college promise has become a trap. Twelve years of K-12 education now leave graduates unprepared for life. Only 35% of seniors are proficient in reading, and just 22% in math. They are asked to bet $100,000 or more for four years of college that will often leave them underemployed and deeply indebted.

Degrees in many “new” fields now carry negative returns. Parents who have already sacrificed for public education find themselves on the hook again, paying for a system that often fails to deliver.

This is one of the reasons why Charlie often described college as a “scam.” Debt accumulates, wages are not what students were promised, doors remain closed, and many are tempted to throw more time and money after a system that won’t yield results. Graduate school, in many cases, compounds the problem. The education system has become a factory of despair, teaching cynicism rather than knowledge and virtue.

Reclaiming educational agency

Yet the solution is not radical revolt against education — it is empowerment to reclaim agency over one’s education. Independent learning, self-guided study, and disciplined curiosity are the modern “Napster moment.” Just as Napster broke the old record industry by digitizing music, the internet has placed knowledge directly in the hands of the individual. Artists like Taylor Swift now thrive outside traditional gatekeepers. Likewise, students and lifelong learners can reclaim intellectual freedom outside of the ivory towers.

Each individual possesses the ability to think, create, and act. This is the power God grants to every human being. Knowledge, faith, and personal responsibility are inseparable. Learning is not a commodity to buy with tuition; it is a birthright to claim with effort.

David Butow / Contributor | Getty Images

Charlie Kirk’s life reminds us that self-education is an act of defiance and empowerment. In his pursuit of knowledge, in his engagement with civics and philosophy, he exemplified the principle that liberty depends on informed, capable citizens. We honor him best by taking up that mantle — by learning relentlessly, thinking critically, and refusing to surrender our minds to a system that profits from ignorance.

The path forward must be reclaiming education, agency, and the power to shape our minds and futures. Every day, seek to grow, create, and act. Charlie showed the way. It is now our responsibility to follow.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck joins TPUSA tour to honor Charlie Kirk

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If they thought the murder of Charlie Kirk would scare us into silence, they were wrong!

If anything, Turning Point will hit the road louder than ever. On Monday, September 22, less than two weeks after the assassination, Charlie's friends united under the Turning Point USA banner to carry his torch and honor his legacy by doing what he did best: bringing honest and truthful debate to Universities across the nation.

Naturally, Glenn has rallied to the cause and has accepted an invitation to join the TPUSA tour at the University of North Dakota on October 9th.

Want to join Glenn at the University of North Dakota to honor Charlie Kirk and keep his mission alive? Click HERE to sign up or find more information.

Glenn's daughter honors Charlie Kirk with emotional tribute song

MELISSA MAJCHRZAK / Contributor | Getty Images

On September 17th, Glenn commemorated his late friend Charlie Kirk by hosting The Charlie Kirk Show Podcast, where he celebrated and remembered the life of a remarkable young man.

During the broadcast, Glenn shared an emotional new song performed by his daughter, Cheyenne, who was standing only feet away from Charlie when he was assassinated. The song, titled "We Are One," has been dedicated to Charlie Kirk as a tribute and was written and co-performed by David Osmond, son of Alan Osmond, founding member of The Osmonds.

Glenn first asked David Osmond to write "We Are One" in 2018, as he predicted that dark days were on the horizon, but he never imagined that it would be sung by his daughter in honor of Charlie Kirk. The Lord works in mysterious ways; could there have been a more fitting song to honor such a brave man?

"We Are One" is available for download or listening on Spotify HERE