(Radio Iowa) – Leaders of Iowa’s two major political parties are condemning political violence and making an appeal for calm in the wake of the shooting death of influential conservative Charlie Kirk. Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart spoke at an outdoor fundraiser in Des Moines on Saturday.

“We live in a country that was founded on the principal that we could stand up in a place like this and express our feelings, out thoughts, our beliefs, our political leanings and not get shot,” Hart said. Steve Scheffler, one of Iowa’s representatives on the Republican National Committee, opened a Sunday afternoon event in Cedar Rapids with a prayer for healing. “Lord, we are so thankful you haven’t passed judgement quite on this nation and that you are giving us another chance to get our act together,” Scheffler said.

“Lord, help us to preach unity, love, compassion, not holding grudges, trying to have a decent conversation, one-on-one, without any vitriol like Charlie Kirk did so admirably.” Four Democrats who are running for the U.S. Senate also denounced political violence when speaking with reporters this weekend. Josh Turek, a state representative from Council Bluffs, says he’s worried the country is headed toward a cycle of political violence not seen since the 1960s. “Political violence doesn’t have a side,” Turek said, “and ultimately it touches all of us.”

Nathan Sage of Indianola — the former executive director of Knoxville’s Chamber of Commerce — says no one should be gunned down in America.  “We need powerful leadership to stand up and say: ‘Enough’s enough,'” Sage said. “We need to stop being divided on things and start coming together as people.” Jackie Norris, a former teacher who’s chair of the Des Moines School Board, says it’s time to tone down the rhetoric. “Kids are watching,” Norris said. “…The answer has to be political violence is never the answer, period, end of sentence.”

Zach Wahls, a state senator from Coralville, says no matter how it happens — or who it happens to — political violence is unacceptable. “None of us want to live in a country where political violence is being normalized,” Wahls said, “and certainly not celebrated.” Wahls says his county should have complied with the governor’s order to lower flags to half staff through sundown yesterday (Sunday) in Kirk’s honor.

Johnson County Board of Supervisors chair Jon Green condemned Kirk’s killing in a post on Facebook, but Green said Kirk made it his life’s mission to denigrate the marginalized, so Green ordered that flags not be lowered in Johnson County. Ashley Hinson, the Republican who’s running for the U-S Senate, led a moment of silent prayer for Kirk yesterday (Sunday) at a campaign event. “Charlie was a man of faith,” Hinson said. “…He really inspired a true generation of people and he delivered results that changes millions of people’s lives for the better.”

Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks has called for the University of Iowa’s new Center for Intellectual Freedom to be named in Kirk’s honor.