The Beauty Pageants Erika Kirk Really Competed In — And the Ones She Didn’t

As someone who once described herself as a "tomboy" growing up to now taking the helm at Turning Point USA, you might be surprised to learn that Erika Kirk (née Erika Frantzve) was once a beauty pageant competitor. She admits it wasn’t until she was 14 that she wore her first pair of heels and “had a really mean layup,” per Britannica.

But Erika, now the widow of Charlie Kirk, who was politically assassinated on Sept. 10, 2025, was indeed into pageantry despite her boyish tendencies and love for sports. But she didn’t take it as far as many others do. Here’s a look at Erika’s beauty pageant career, including which competitions she actually participated in and the ones she didn’t, despite what rumors might suggest.

Erika Kirk competed in the Miss Arizona USA pageant in 2011, where she was named the first runner-up. The following year, she was crowned the 2012 Miss Arizona USA winner on her 23rd birthday. This happened while Erika was attending Arizona State University, which she graduated from with a degree in political science and international relations.

While she initially started her college journey at Regis University in Colorado, where she also played basketball, she eventually returned to Arizona and finished out her post-secondary education at ASU. And if you didn’t know, Arizona is actually where Erika was raised by her single mother, Lori Frantzve. It also seems the lessons her mother instilled in her are what pushed her toward pageantry in the first place.

Growing up, Erika was raised in the Roman Catholic Church, per Britannica, and her mother would take her to soup kitchens to help out. She learned early on the importance of giving back and helping others, and that’s where the bridge formed between her mission and pageantry. “When I learned that by competing I could touch more people, further my causes, I knew it was a chance to make a greater impact,” Erika previously said, per Arizona Foothills Magazine.

Her 2011 competition and 2012 Miss Arizona USA win weren’t Erika’s only experiences with pageantry. In fact, she actually participated in quite a few others before leaving for college, per the magazine.

Erika eventually decided to put pageantry on the back burner so she could focus on college and basketball, but something drew her back. After two years playing for Regis University, she returned home, where she could jump back into pageants and spend more time on her organization, Everyday Heroes Like You, which she launched in 2006.

Soon after, she secured the 2012 win. Miss Arizona USA’s Executive Producer Britt Boyse even said at the time, “She catches your eye with her stunning looks, then captures your heart with her warmth and character.” After winning the 2012 Miss Arizona USA pageant, Erika was in line to compete in the Miss USA pageant. But did she?

When Erika won the 2012 title of Miss Arizona USA, it automatically advanced her to compete in the Miss USA pageant representing Arizona, but she didn’t place. Erika competed during the time when Miss USA was owned by Donald Trump, who controlled the pageant from 1996 to 2015 before selling it.

However, there’s no record of Erika competing in Miss America or Miss Universe, which are entirely separate pageant systems from Miss USA.