Arizona governor vetoes Charlie Kirk memorial license plate sparking GOP outrage: ‘This bill falls short’
Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is facing fierce backlash after vetoing a bill that would have created a specialty license plate honoring slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk —...
By Fox News · Fox News
Democratic Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is facing fierce backlash after vetoing a bill that would have created a specialty license plate honoring slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk — a move Republicans are blasting as a stunning act of partisanship in the wake of his assassination. Kirk, who was assassinated while speaking at a Sept. 10 Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University, lived in Arizona with his wife, Erika, and two children. The proposed specialty plate, referred to as the "Charlie Kirk memorial" plate or the "Conservative grassroots network special 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, were the words "FOR CHARLIE." STATE DEPARTMENT REVOKES SIX VISAS OVER OFFENSIVE CHARLIE KIRK ASSASSINATION COMMENTS Of the $25 fee required for the plate , $17 would act as an annual donation deposited into the Conservative Grassroots Network Special Plate Fund, according to the legislation. 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. TPUSA, founded by Kirk in 2012, is well-known for its grassroots activist networks on high school and college campuses. It is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. The $25 fee and annual $17 donation are consistent with the fees for the other 109 nonprofit license plates offered by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). ‘WE ARE NOT AFRAID’: ERIKA KIRK VOWS TPUSA WILL CONTINUE CAMPUS DEBATES NATIONWIDE The state Senate passed the bill 16-2, with the House of Representatives voting 31-23 in favor, prior to Hobbs' veto. Specia…