凯蒂·霍布斯称，在TPUSA创始人去世后，该提议的特色车牌不会“团结人民”
作者：亚历山德拉·科赫
福克斯新闻
发布时间：2026年3月7日美国东部时间晚上7:22
亚利桑那州民主党州长凯蒂·霍布斯在否决一项本将创建纪念被杀害的转折点美国（TPUSA）创始人查理·柯克的特色车牌的法案后，正面临激烈反对。共和党人谴责此举是在其遇刺后表现出的令人震惊的党派偏见。
柯克于9月10日在犹他谷大学参加TPUSA活动时遇刺身亡，他与妻子埃丽卡和两个孩子居住在亚利桑那州。
拟议的特色车牌被称为“查理·柯克纪念”车牌或“保守派基层网络特色车牌”，其背景为美国国旗，上面有已故柯克的照片和TPUSA标志。
车牌号码下方写着“为了查理”（FOR CHARLIE）。
亚利桑那州参议员杰克·霍夫曼（Jake Hoffman）分享了一款带有TPUSA和查理·柯克设计的定制车牌。（参议员杰克·霍夫曼通过X平台发布）
根据该法案，车牌所需的25美元费用中，17美元将作为年度捐款存入“保守派基层网络特色车牌基金”。
虽然法案中并未明确指定该基金的接收方为TPUSA，但提到基金管理人将每年向一个成立于2012年的非营利组织拨款，该组织致力于恢复传统价值观、在亚利桑那州的高中和大学校园维持基层活动家网络，并协助大学生进行选民登记和邮寄投票。
TPUSA由柯克于2012年创立，以其在高中和大学校园的基层活动家网络而闻名，总部位于亚利桑那州凤凰城。
25美元的费用和每年17美元的捐款与亚利桑那州交通部（ADOT）提供的其他109种非营利组织车牌费用一致。
“我们无所畏惧”：埃丽卡·柯克誓言TPUSA将在全国范围内继续开展校园辩论
州参议院以16-2的投票结果通过了该法案，众议院以31-23的投票结果支持该法案，随后霍布斯行使了否决权。
亚利桑那州的特色车牌由立法机构授权，然后提交给州长签署成为法律。自1989年以来一直提供此类车牌。
在解释否决的信件中，霍布斯指出对该法案“促进团结”的担忧，称其会“将政治带入本应保持无党派性的政府职能中”。
亚利桑那州民主党州长凯蒂·霍布斯在否决一项为纪念被杀害的转折点美国创始人查理·柯克而设立特色车牌的法案后，正面临激烈反对。（丽贝卡·诺布尔/盖蒂图片社）
埃丽卡·柯克在法庭上争取摄像权，同时通过新的州合作关系扩大TPUSA分会
“查理·柯克遇刺是一场悲剧和令人发指的暴力行为，”霍布斯写道，“在美国，我们通过投票箱解决政治分歧。无论暴力行为针对谁，它都会将我们所有人置于危险之中，并损害我们神圣的民主制度。
“我将继续努力寻找能团结人民的解决方案，但该法案未能达到这一标准。”
该州已批准的带有政治利益的特色车牌包括“选择生命”车牌，该车牌使亚利桑那生命联盟及其反堕胎倡导和教育使命受益；“我们信仰上帝”车牌，该车牌使保守派基督教法律倡导组织联盟捍卫自由受益；以及亚利桑那房地产经纪人协会的“人人有房”车牌，该车牌资助经济适用房项目。
转折点美国创始人查理·柯克在2023年佛罗里达州西棕榈滩的转折点行动会议上发表讲话。（林恩·斯莱德斯基/美联社照片）
民主党人约翰·费特曼谴责对查理·柯克遗孀埃丽卡的“非人化”攻击
另一款已批准的车牌是“爱丽丝·库珀的磐石车牌”，该车牌使磐石青少年中心受益，其特色是传奇音乐家的肖像，库珀曾就性别认同等社会问题发表过政治评论。
提出该法案的共和党州参议员杰克·霍夫曼在州长采取行动后在社交媒体上发表了激烈声明，称她的“怪诞党派偏见无界限”。
“即使在一位全球民权领袖——一位亚利桑那州居民和她自己的选民——在光天化日之下因捍卫第一修正案而被暗杀之后，霍布斯也无法放下她极左的极端主义，仅仅允许那些希望纪念他的人这样做，”霍夫曼写道，“凯蒂·霍布斯将永远被铭记为亚利桑那州历史上的一个污点。”
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周六，TPUSA首席运营官泰勒·鲍耶在X平台上发布了一条称“驱逐凯蒂·霍布斯”的帖子。
TPUSA、鲍耶和霍布斯办公室未立即回应福克斯新闻数字版的置评请求。
亚历山德拉·科赫是福克斯新闻数字版记者，报道突发新闻，重点关注塑造全国讨论的重大事件。
她报道过重大全国性危机，包括洛杉矶野火、波托马克河和哈德逊河航空灾难、博尔德恐怖袭击以及德克萨斯州丘陵地区洪水。
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6389850059112
Arizona governor vetoes Charlie Kirk memorial license plate, sparking GOP outrage: ‘This bill falls short’
Katie Hobbs says the proposed specialty plate would not ‘bring people together’ after TPUSA founder’s death
By Alexandra Koch
Fox News
Published March 7, 2026 7:22pm EST
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 after 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 a photo of the late Kirk and the TPUSA logo in front of an American flag background.
Below the license plate number were the words “FOR CHARLIE.”
A custom Arizona license plate, featuring a Turning Point USA and Charlie Kirk design, shared by state Sen. Jake Hoffman.(Senator Jake Hoffman via X)
Of the $25 fee required for the plate, $17 would be 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.
People gather at a memorial to mourn Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk outside Turning Point USA headquarters Sept. 12, 2025, in Phoenix.(Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)
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.
Specialty plates in Arizona are authorized by the legislature and sent to the governor to be signed into law. They have been offered since 1989.
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.”
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.(Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)
ERIKA KIRK BATTLES FOR CAMERAS IN COURTROOM WHILE EXPANDING TPUSA CHAPTERS IN NEW STATE PARTNERSHIP
“Charlie Kirk’s assassination is tragic and a horrifying act of violence,” Hobbs wrote. “In America, we resolve our political differences at the ballot box. No matter who it targets, political violence puts us all in harm’s way and damages our sacred democratic institutions.
“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.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, speaks during the Turning Point Action conference in 2023 in West Palm Beach, Fla.(Lynne Sladky/AP Photo)
DEMOCRAT JOHN FETTERMAN DECRIES ‘DEHUMANIZING’ ATTACK AGAINST CHARLIE KIRK’S WIDOW ERIKA
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.
Republican state Sen. Jake Hoffman, who sponsored the bill, posted a fiery statement on social media after the governor’s action, claiming her “grotesque partisanship knows no bounds.”
“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.”
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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.
Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.
She has covered major national crises, including the L.A. wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6389850059112
