Governor vetoes bill that would've funded Charlie Kirk's anti-LGBTQ+ organizationshttps://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/03/governor-vetoes-bill-that-wouldve-funded-charlie-kirks-anti-lgbtq-organizations/ 🔗Daniel Villarreal (9 March 2026)
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed a bill to create a specialty license plate honoring slain MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk. Republican legislators are unlikely to override her veto, as they only have six- and four-seat majorities in the House and Senate, respectively.
The bill would have donated $17 of the license plate's $25 price to Turning Point USA (TPUSA), Kirk's organization for young conservatives, which pushes anti-trans, anti-immigrant stances and encourages students to harass and report left-wing college professors.
In her March 6 veto letter, Hobbs wrote that the bill (S.B. 1439) fell short of "working toward solutions that bring people together ... by inserting politics into a function of government that should remain nonpartisan."
Democratic legislators in Arizona said the bill would needlessly provide government assistance to help fund a wealthy organization. TPUSA raised $84 million in 2024 and its political action committee Turning Point Action (which supports far-right Republican candidates and registers conservative voters) raised over $27 million that same year, according to the Arizona Mirror.
"To me, to use a government program to financially benefit one political organization sets just a troubling precedent, and it risks blurring the lines between state neutrality and political advocacy," said Sen. Lauren Kuby (D).
Rep. Patty Contreras (D) noted that state Republicans have blocked Democratic legislators for years from creating an LGBTQ+ Pride specialty plate that would provide donations to local queer rights organizations.
