Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) has vetoed a bill to create a specialty license plate honoring Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk, who was brutally assassinated in September.
The proposed plate featured an image of Kirk, his Phoenix-based organization’s logo, an American flag background, and the words “For Charlie” on it, Fox News reported Saturday. The outlet noted Kirk had lived in Arizona with his wife Erika and their two children.
The report said the plate was called the “Charlie Kirk memorial” plate or the “Conservative grassroots network special plate.”
The legislation said $17 of the fee for the plate would be an annual donation for the Conservative Grassroots Network Special Plate Fund, the article continued:
While the recipient of the Grassroots Network Special Plate Fund was not explicitly designated as TPUSA in the bill, it noted the director of the fund would allocate revenue annually to a nonprofit organization, founded in 2012, that focuses on restoring traditional values, maintaining a grassroots activist network on high school and college campuses in Arizona, and assisting college students with voter registration and absentee ballots.
In a letter regarding her veto of SB 1439, Hobbs told lawmakers Kirk’s assassination was “tragic.” She then added, “I will continue working toward solutions that bring people together, but this bill falls short of that standard by inserting politics into a function of government that should remain nonpartisan.”
Conservatives made their disagreement with Hobbs’ veto clear, with Arizona gubernatorial candidate Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) calling the move a “petty and callous act.”
“Charlie Kirk was one of America’s most influential voices and leaders. He made his home in Arizona, building a company and raising a family in this state before he was assassinated because of his political beliefs. Katie Hobbs had a chance to honor Charlie and she vetoed it. A simple license plate for Arizonans to show they stand with Charlie for freedom and Katie Hobbs vetoed it. We should not forget this petty and callous act,” he wrote in a social media post on Saturday:
Director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media Kari Lake also criticized Hobbs.
“Cruelty for cruelty’s sake. Charlie Kirk was a true son of Arizona, murdered while trying to heal partisan divides through honest debate,” she wrote in a social media post.
Lake added that “Hobbs resents that because she’s never been interested in bringing people together — she runs from debates. Charlie may not be on a license plate, but his work ensures he’ll never be forgotten. Katie will be remembered only for fraud & failure.”
The Fox article noted:
Specialty license plates with political interests already approved by the state include the “Choose Life” Plate, which benefits the Arizona Life Coalition and its mission to promote anti-abortion advocacy and education; the “In God We Trust” Plate, which benefits conservative Christian legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom; and the Arizona Realtors’ “Homes for All” Plate, which funds affordable housing projects.
Kirk was fatally shot during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on September 10, per Breitbart News. His brutal killing shocked the world. Millions of people mourned his loss and many have vowed to continue the work he began.
