Photo by Gage Skidmore
By Reagan Priest | State Affairs
Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed the Charlie Kirk Loop 202 bill Friday, three weeks after vetoing another bill that would have created a special license plate in honor of the slain Turning Point USA founder.
In a veto letter, Hobbs said Kirk’s death was “tragic and a horrifying act of violence,” but a bill renaming a highway after him circumvents the typical naming process.
“Any renaming of a highway must follow the current process through the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names and not be circumvented by the Legislature,” Hobbs wrote.
Senate Bill 1010Track (Charlie Kirk highway), sponsored by Senate President Warren Petersen, would have designated the 78-mile stretch of highway around metro Phoenix as the “Charlie Kirk Loop 202.” In a press release after the veto, Petersen accused Hobbs of rejecting the recognition for Kirk because of his political beliefs.
“(This veto) tells people that recognition now depends on political alignment, not contribution,” Petersen said in a statement. “That’s not how Arizona has ever approached these decisions, and it’s a disappointing shift for our state.”
