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Arizona Governor Facing Heavy Backlash After Vetoing Charlie Kirk Memorial License Plate

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is facing significant criticism after vetoing a bill that would have created a specialty license plate honoring Charlie Kirk.

By Jake Elman
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is facing significant criticism, especially from Republican politicians, after vetoing a bill that would have created a specialty license plate honoring late Turning Point USA co-founder and popular right-wing activist Charlie Kirk. The proposed plate would have cost $25 and featured a photo of Kirk and the TPUSA logo against an American flag background. Additionally, the plate would have said “FOR CHARLIE” at the bottom below the license plate number. Hobbs, who is up for reelection later this year, said that the bill “falls short” of a standard to bring people together. “Charlie Kirk’s assassination is tragic and a horrifying act of violence,” Hobbs wrote in a press release. “In America, we resolve our political differences at the ballot box. No matter who it targets, political violence puts us all in harm’s way and damages our sacred democratic institutions.” Kirk was assassinated during a speaking appearance at Utah Valley University last September. The Utah County Attorney’s Office is pursuing the death penalty against Tyler Robinson, the alleged shooter. Robinson will not have his preliminary hearing until May 18. Arizona Sen. Jake Hoffman offered harsh words for Hobbs and called Kirk a “global civil rights leader.” Kirk lived in Arizona with his wife, Erika, and their two children. “Hobbs couldn’t find the human decency to put her far-Left extremism aside simply to allow those who wish to honor him to do so,” Hoffman wrote on X. “Katie Hobbs will forever be known as a stain on the pages of Arizona’s story.” Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, who is running as a Republican candidate for governor, similarly ripped Hobbs, and he referred to Kirk as “one of America’s most influential voices and leaders.” “A simple license plate for Arizonans to show they stand with Charlie for freedom and Katie Hobbs vetoed it,” Biggs wrote. “We should not forget this petty and callous act.” Hobbs had not responded to either politician as of publication. Hobbs isn’t the first Democratic politician of late to generate controversy for an anti-Kirk stance. Florida Democratic Rep. Ashley Gantt claimed in late February that Kirk, whom she called “mediocre and racist,” was not assassinated. Instead, she argued that Kirk died from gun violence because she believes that an assassination is “typically related to a person in a political position.” “Was his passing tragic for those who love him?” Gantt said. “Absolutely. There is no denying that. But he was not assassinated, and words being accurate matters. It was a death by gun violence.” Gantt’s comments came after the Florida House of Representatives approved a bill to establish an official Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance. The legislation picked Oct. 14, Kirk’s birthday, and the bill passed in an 82–31 party-line vote.

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