EXCLUSIVE Nate Morris says last week's assassination of his friend Charlie Kirk was a "gut punch."But the Republican businessman from Kentucky, who was the last Senate candidate Kirk endorsed and joined on the campaign trail before he was shot and killed, said in an exclusive national interview with Fox News Digital that "we're picking up the mantle for Charlie."And Morris, who's one of three major candidates vying for the Republican nomination in the 2026 race to succeed retiring longtime former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, emphasized, "We're going to honor him by running an incredible campaign and winning this thing."Morris said that when he was considering a Senate run, "I got a chance to meet Charlie and get to know him. And, you know, he didn't know me from Adam. He didn't know really anything about me, other than I was a business guy, and I was looking at the race."TRUMP NOT ON BALLOT BUT FRONT-AND-CENTER IN 2025 ELECTIONS"I think Charlie's superpower was his ability to listen and give people an opportunity to share what's on their mind," Morris said. "He certainly did that for me, and he came away motivated to help me, which, which was unbelievable to have that kind of support early on."RISING REPUBLICAN STAR ASHLEY HINSON LAUNCHES SENATE BID TO SUCCEED IOWA'S ERNSTKirk, the conservative firebrand, activist, media superstar on the right, co-founder of the extremely influential Turning Point USA organization, and ally and outside adviser to President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Donald Trump Jr., invited Morris on his radio show.And in June, he teamed up with Morris at a campaign kickoff event just south of Louisville, Kentucky."It was such a shot in the arm to our campaign. I mean, you couldn't ask for anything greater," Morris said. "When you're launching something like a United States Senate campaign, an iconic leader like Charlie, who believes in you and believes in your vision, it changes everything, and it changes the way you look at the race. It gives you a confidence that I think very few candidates are lucky enough to get."FOUR KEY SENATE SEATS THE GOP AIMS TO FLIP IN NEXT YEAR'S MIDTERM ELECTIONSMorris added that "Charlie was all in on this campaign from the very beginning, and I think it set the tone as well, and showed conservatives what kind of campaign we're going to run.""But also, he spoke for me, my beliefs and my character, before a lot of people knew me," Morris said. "I'm running as an outsider. I'm not a career politician. I've never run for office before, and having Charlie vouch for me in this campaign changed everything for us."Morris is facing off against fellow major contenders Rep. Andy Barr and former Kentucky Attorney General and 2023 gubernatorial nominee Daniel Cameron, in a growing field of candidates in a Republican race that's turning combustible."The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a national disgrace and a wake-up call for America. Enough is enough. I continue to pray for Charlies family during this unspeakable tragedy," Barr wrote in the hours after Kirk's murder.And Cameron, this week, said that in Kirk's "honor, we will continue to stand for truth and this Nations founding ideals."In the wake of Kirk's shooting death, while speaking to college students at Utah Valley University, Morris said he's more motivated than ever to win the Senate race."I had a burning desire from the moment I started thinking about this race that I felt like I had to get in. I felt that with every fiber of my being," he said. "Let me tell you, since this has happened, this fire is like a fire I can't describe. We have to win, and we have to honor Charlie and what he did for us. We have no choice."