(The Center Square) - Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed numerous bills passed by the Arizona Legislature trying to honor Charlie Kirk’s life.
Thursday marks the one-year anniversary of Kirk’s death after he was assassinated in front of an audience of nearly 3,000 people at a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University. Kirk was shot in the neck while debating with students at the Orem, Utah campus. Kirk died at 31.
Tyler Robinson is accused of shooting Kirk. He has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder and six other charges. Fourth District Judge Tony Graf ruled the 23-year-old will stand trial for Kirk’s death. Graf set Oct. 23 for a hearing in the Provo, Utah courtroom to determine the trial date.
U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Gilbert, who's running against Hobbs, a Democrat, in the Nov. 3 gubernatorial race, called Kirk a “generational historical figure.”
He noted Kirk would go to college campuses that were “intolerant of free speech” and have good discussions with anyone who wanted to debate him.
During the discussions, Biggs said Kirk would use logic to persuade people rather than “rancor and hate.”
“Charlie was a remarkable man, and I miss him sorely as a person and as a friend. He was a great guy,” Biggs told The Center Square.
According to Biggs, “many Arizonans still have great respect for Charlie and his family and the efforts he made to restore the American way to Arizona and this country.”
“I’m just pleased that I got to know Charlie,” said Biggs, who received Kirk's endorsement in the gubernatorial race.
Arizona GOP Chair Sergio Arellano said Republicans statewide “will honor Charlie by doing exactly what he did every day, changing hearts and minds and advancing the conservative cause.”
“He was a remarkable example of what it means to be a Republican - hard-working, undaunted, and dedicated to saving this great country of ours,” he told The Center Square via email.
During its 2026 session, the Arizona Legislature, which is controlled by Republicans, passed two bills attempting to pay respect to the conservative activist’s life.
Arizona lawmakers passed Senate Bill 1439, which would have created an Arizona license plate honoring Kirk. However, Hobbs vetoed the bill on March 6.
The Democratic governor said in her veto letter that Kirk’s “assassination [was] tragic and a horrifying act of violence.”
“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,” she wrote.
The governor said she would “continue working toward solutions that bring people together.” But she noted SB 1439 did not do this, but rather inserted politics “into a function of government that should remain nonpartisan.”
On March 27, Hobbs vetoed SB1010, which attempted to rename Loop 202, a major Arizona highway, after Kirk.
The governor gave a similar explanation as to why she vetoed SB 1439, calling Kirk’s assassination “tragic” but saying the bill failed to “bring people together.”
She also noted when an Arizona highway is being renamed, it “must follow the current process through the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historic Names and not be circumvented by the Legislature.”
Despite the governor vetoing two bills attempting to honor Kirk’s life, the Arizona House held a special session on Jan. 29 to honor him. Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, led the House floor in the opening prayer.
After prayer, a proclamation was read aloud honoring Kirk's contributions to civic education and public discourse.
“Charlie believed deeply in this country and in what it stands for. His work expanded opportunities for young people to engage thoughtfully in public life and reinforced the principle that freedom must be renewed by each generation,” the proclamation said.
At the local level, a citizen-led petition asked the Phoenix City Council to rename the Seventh Street Bridge in its downtown to the Charlie Kirk Memorial Bridge. However, the council voted down the petition 7-1 in October 2025.
In Scottsdale, where Kirk lived, the city council voted to approve a motion to have the city manager investigate the process of creating a memorial for Kirk in November 2025.
A month later, the city council did not approve a city-funded memorial but left open the possibility of a private memorial donation to honor Kirk.
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