Arizona governor vetoes Charlie Kirk memorial license plate, sparking GOP outrage: 'This bill falls short'

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. 

Below the license plate number were the words "FOR CHARLIE."

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).

The state Senate passed the bill, 16-2, with the House of Representatives voting 31-23 in favor prior to Hobbs' veto.

In a letter explaining the veto, Hobbs cited concerns with the bill "bring[ing] people together," claiming it would "insert politics into a function of government that should remain nonpartisan."

"I will continue working toward solutions that bring people together, but this bill falls short of that standard."

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.

Another approved plate, "Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Plate," which benefits Solid Rock Teen Centers, features a portrait of the legendary musician, who has made political comments about social issues including gender identity.

"Even in the wake of a global civil rights leader - an Arizona resident and her own constituent - being assassinated in broad daylight for his defense of the First Amendment, Hobbs couldn't find the human decency to put her far-Left extremism aside simply to allow those how wish to honor him to do so," Hoffman wrote. "Katie Hobbs will forever be known as a stain on the pages of Arizona's story."

On Saturday, TPUSA COO Tyler Bowyer shared an X post that said, "Deport Katie Hobbs."

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