PHOENIX – On Friday, March 6, Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill that would have allowed funds from a newly created special conservative license plate to be donated to Turning Point USA, which is headquartered in Phoenix. The bill passed in both chambers of the Arizona legislature along party lines, and it brought the controversial organization back into the spotlight.
The license plate bill creates a Conservative Grassroots Network Special Plate, which would cost purchasers $25; $8 of which would pay for the Special Plate Administration Fee. The remaining $17 would be added to a new Conservative Grassroots Network Special Plate Fund.
Governor Hobbs vetoed the bill and called it partisan. “I will continue working toward solutions that bring people together, but this bill falls short of that standard by inserting politics into a function of government that should remain nonpartisan,” she said in a letter to Senate President Warren Petersen.
Hobbs also condemned political violence in the letter. “Charlie Kirk’s assassination is tragic and a horrifying act of violence,” she 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.”
The bill’s sponsor is Senator Jake Hoffman, who served as a Trump Elector in 2020. Hoffman shot back at Hobbs in a statement released by the Arizona Senate Republicans. “Katie Hobbs’ grotesque partisanship knows no bounds,” he said in the statement. “Katie Hobbs will forever be known as a stain on the pages of Arizona’s story.”
Hoffman argued that other figures, such as Democratic Congressman Ed Pastor, have been honored with a highway name change in the past. In fact, Senate President Petersen sponsored a bill (SB1010) that would rename State Loop 202 after Charlie Kirk. Another bill (SB1686) would create a memorial at the state capitol.
In order for the new license plate to be created, the now-vetoed bill would have required someone to make a one-time payment of $32,000 by the end of this year. If they did, that person could design a Conservative Grassroots Network Special Plate, subject to approval by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). That person is then reimbursed with the first $32,000 that goes into the Special Plate Fund.
The law already allows the government to create special license plates. ADOT offers around 120 specialized plates, including some representing conservative organizations like Arizona Life Coalition. Funds collected typically go to the State Highway Fund, but the new law would have been unique because it also raises and directs money to an outside nonprofit.
The bill does not specifically name Turning Point USA, but it is referenced indirectly. The funds may be donated at the director’s discretion to a 501(c)(3) that meets certain requirements listed in the law. To qualify, the organization must have a grassroots activist network on high school or college campuses in Arizona, assist college students to register to vote, and must have been founded in 2012.
According to the bill, the organization must “educate people through the development of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to engage in communities to restore traditional values, including patriotism and fiscal responsibility and the respect for life, liberty and family.”
Turning Point USA has played a role in shaping local politics in Arizona. The organization was responsible for a successful recall effort last year that resulted in the removal of Mesa City Councilwoman Julie Spilsbury, who is a Republican. The council member was targeted for her public endorsement of certain Democratic candidates, and for some controversial votes taken throughout her tenure.
Spilsbury lost by 762 votes, despite having a bipartisan team. “I had a Republican campaign manager and a Democrat campaign manager that were both working on my campaign,” Spilsbury told KJZZ Phoenix in December. “I had Dems and Republicans and independents out knocking doors for me for eight weeks.”
She also spoke about the role of her faith, and how surprised she was to see members of her own community support the recall. “But just so many people that I go to church with every Sunday, you know, supported the recall and have been opposed to my views for five years when I’m just trying to serve a community that I love,” she said.
Spilsbury believes that Turning Point USA wants to play a much more active role in reshaping politics at the local level. “I feel like Turning Point is on a mission to flip all the nonpartisan city councils and school boards into partisan elections, and they want everyone to think the same way,” she told Politico last year.
Alan Hayman
