Arizona will not rename the Loop 202 freeway after conservative activist Charlie Kirk following Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs' veto of a Republican-backed bill on Friday, March 27, 2026, in a move that reignited partisan tensions over public memorials and the legacy of the slain Turning Point USA founder.
Hobbs rejected Senate Bill 1010, which sought to designate the entire 78-mile Loop 202 — also known regionally as the Red Mountain Freeway, Santan Freeway and Congressman Ed Pastor Freeway — as the "Charlie Kirk Loop 202." The legislation, sponsored by Senate President Warren Petersen, would have required the Arizona Department of Transportation to install a "reasonable amount" of new signage bearing the name while retaining existing regional designations.
