As Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs wraps up the final legislative session of her first term in office, there’s speculation about whether the “Veto Queen” — which is what her critics call her — will be able to hold her position in this year’s election.
Hobbs vetoed 174 bills in 2025 but only 73 the year prior. In 2023, she killed 143 bills. She broke Gov. Janet Napolitano’s previously held record of 181 vetoed bills over the course of six years.
Katie Hobbs vetoes bill to honor Charlie Kirk
So far in 2026, she has opposed Republican-backed tax bills aimed at aligning the state tax code with the provisions of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.” The proposals also include cracking down on Arizona’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“My position on tax conformity remains clear: Send me the Middle Class Tax Cuts Package,” she said in the veto letter.
Hobbs also vetoed a bill that would have required Arizona hospitals to ask patients about their citizenship status.
This past week, Hobbs faced backlash over her veto of a bill that would have created a special license plate memorializing Kirk, with $17 of the $25 specialty plate proceeds going to TPUSA.
In her veto letter, Hobbs acknowledged, “Charlie Kirk’s assassination is a tragic and 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 said.
“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.”
Arizona state Sen. Jake Hoffman, in a statement on X, decried the veto.
“Katie Hobbs’ 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 who wish to honor him to do so.”
Turning Point Chief Operating Officer Tyler Bowyer also criticized Hobbs’ decision.
“Katie Hobbs wants you to forget about Charlie Kirk. Good reason to show up and vote this year,” Bowyer wrote in a Saturday post on X.
TPUSA continues Kirk’s legacy.
TPUSA experienced unprecedented growth after Kirk’s assassination. The late political commentator’s wife, Erika Kirk, took the reins after the tragic event.
Trump and Charlie Kirk shared a close relationship — from Kirk rallying the youth vote for Trump to Trump speaking at Kirk’s funeral. TPUSA’s relationship with the White House remains strong.
Most recently, Trump appointed Erika Kirk to the Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors, a position previously held by her husband. She will continue her husband’s legacy and “be a fearless advocate for the most elite air power force in the history of the world whose warriors keep our Nation safe, strong, and free,” as Olivia Wales, White House spokeswoman, told USA Today.
The bipartisan 16-seat board is responsible for inquiring into the morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction and fiscal affairs of the academy.
During Charlie Kirk’s time on the board, he pushed for the acceleration of the renovation of the Academy’s iconic Cadet Chapel. The construction started seven years ago and is ongoing. Kirk also advocated for stripping DEI criteria from the admissions process. His wife may also raise these issues during her three-year appointment.
Erika Kirk, a former Miss Arizona USA, received a master’s degree in from Liberty University. She has an undergraduate degree in political science and international relations from Arizona State University.