Gov Katie Hobbs vetoes Charlie Kirk memorial license plate bill in Arizona

Democratic Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs faced fierce backlash after vetoing a bill that would have created a special license plate in memory of slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. It was a move that Republicans criticized in the wake of the assassination as a striking act of partisanship.

Kirk, who was assassinated while speaking at the Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University on September 10, was living in Arizona with his wife, Erika, and their two children.

Referred to as the “Charlie Kirk memorial” plate or “Conservative grassroots network specialty plate,” the proposed specialty plate featured an iconic photo of the late Kirk and the TPUSA logo in front of an American flag background.

Underneath the license plate number was the words “FOR CHARLIE.”

Under the legislation, $17 of the $25 fee required for the license plate would be used as an annual donation to be deposited into the Conservative Grassroots Network Special License Plate Fund.

Although the bill does not explicitly name TPUSA as the recipient of the Grassroots Network Private License Plate Fund, it does note that the fund manager would allocate its proceeds to a nonprofit organization founded in 2012 that focuses on restoring traditional values, building a grassroots activist network on high school and college campuses in Arizona, and assisting college students with voter registration and absentee voting.

People gather at a memorial service outside Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix on September 12, 2025, to mourn the loss of Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Founded by Kirk in 2012, TPUSA is known for its grassroots activist networks on high school and college campuses. It is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

The $25 fee and $17 annual donation are consistent with fees for 109 other nonprofit license plates offered by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT).

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The state Senate passed the bill 16-2, while the House of Representatives voted 31-23 in favor before Hobbs’ veto.

Private license plates in Arizona are approved by the legislature and sent to the governor for signature. They have been offered since 1989.

In a letter announcing the veto, Hobbs expressed his concerns about the bill:[ing] “By bringing people together,” he claimed that this would “introduce politics into a function of government in which politics should be non-partisan.”

Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs faced fierce backlash after vetoing a bill that would create a special license plate commemorating slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. (Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

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“Charlie Kirk’s assassination is a tragic and horrific act of violence,” Hobbs wrote. “In America, we resolve our political differences at the ballot box. No matter who it targets, political violence endangers us all and undermines our sacred democratic institutions.”

“I will continue to work on solutions that bring people together, but this bill falls short of that standard,” he continued.

Specialty plates with political interests currently approved by the state include: the “Choose Life” License Plate, which benefits the Arizona Coalition for Life and its mission to promote anti-abortion advocacy and education; “In God We Trust” License Plate benefiting the conservative Christian legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom; and Arizona Realtors’ “Homes for All” License Plate, which finances affordable housing projects.

Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, speaks at the 2023 Turning Point Action conference in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Lynne Sladky/AP Photo)

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Another certified plaque benefiting Solid Rock Youth Centers, “Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Plate,” features a portrait of the legendary musician who made political commentary on social issues, including gender identity.

Republican state Sen. Jake Hoffman, who sponsored the bill, issued an impassioned statement on social media following the governor’s action, claiming that his “grotesque partisanship knows no bounds.”

“Even after a global civil rights leader (an Arizona resident and his own voter) was assassinated in broad daylight for his defense of the First Amendment, Hobbs could not find the human decency to put aside his far-Left extremism to allow those who wanted to honor him to do so,” Hoffman wrote. “Katie Hobbs will forever be a stain on the pages of Arizona’s story.”

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On Saturday, TPUSA COO Tyler Bowyer shared an X post that read “Deport Katie Hobbs.”

TPUSA, Bowyer and Hobbs’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.

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