'I'm a target': GOP candidate who burned Quran calls for FBI protection after Kirk killing

Valentina Gomez, a controversial GOP congressional candidate who critics say “called for the murder of all two billion Muslims” and vowed to “end Islam in Texas” if elected, is now calling for protection from the FBI in the wake of the killing of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk.

“They shot President [Donald] Trump, assassinated Charlie Kirk, and I am a target, just like [conservative activist] Riley Gaines and anyone that stood up against the left,” Gomez wrote on X Thursday, tagging the FBI, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other high-ranking Trump administration officials.

“I am a political candidate with the largest platform in America and I am formally and publicly requesting protection. I am a 26-year-old Christian woman who loves America and my life is in danger for speaking the truth, just like Charlie Kirk.”

Kirk was shot and killed Wednesday while speaking at Utah Valley University, with the shooter still at large. The attack drew international media attention and bi-partisan condemnation.

Gomez, who describes herself as an “America-first-MAGA” candidate, has drawn intense scrutiny for her frequently violent rhetoric targeting Muslims and migrants. In March, she shared a video of herself shooting a dummy in the back of its head, a demonstration she described as being “cheaper than deportation.”

And last month, she released a video campaign ad in which she burned a copy of the Quran – the central religious text of Islam – with a flamethrower, warning that “your daughters will be r---- and your sons beheaded unless we stop Islam once and for all,” urging American Muslims to “f— off” to Muslim-majority nations.

In her social media post calling for FBI protection, Gomez shared an image of social media comments directed toward her, some of which hoped Gomez would be “next,” following Kirk’s killing. She also claimed that she had received “multiple death threats” and “calls for my assassination.”

Gomez is an immigrant of Colombia, having moved to the United States in 2009, and launching a failed bid for secretary of state in Missouri shortly thereafter, finishing in sixth place in the Republican primary election with less than 7.5% of the vote.