A suggestion to rename the scenic Mogollon Rim Road "The Donald J. Trump Highway" hit a dead end in the Arizona Senate.

On a 15-9 vote Thursday, the Senate rejected a proposal sponsored by Sen. Wendy Rogers, a Flagstaff Republican who is an ardent Trump supporter. It takes at least 16 votes to pass a measure in the Senate.

The failure of Senate Concurrent Memorial 1001 wasn't for lack of support for the concept, at least from the 17 Senate Republicans. But they failed to meet the 16-vote threshold because Sen. Shawnna Bolick, R-Phoenix, was absent and Sen. Frank Carroll, R-Peoria, voted "no" despite saying he backed the idea of naming an Arizona highway after the president.

Carroll explained his vote by saying he believes the idea should be broached only after Trump has left office. When the day comes, Carroll suggested the name should be applied to Loop 303, which runs through parts of his district.

Federal law, which the Arizona State Board on Geographic and Historical Names follows, states a geographic feature cannot be named after a living individual. The naming should happen five years after the individual's death and then only if the person has a direct and long-running association with the feature. There have been exceptions, however, most notably the naming of Piestewa Peak in Phoenix.

Democrats had no love for the rebranding idea. Sen. Mitzi Epstein, D-Tempe, ticked off a list of Trump transgressions that she said argued against receiving such an honor, from his 34 felony convictions to his incitement of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Sen. Mark Finchem, R-Prescott, rose to defend the president, portraying Trump as the victim of criminal witch hunts by the "full force" of the government.

"I'll close with this," Finchem said. "Bill Clinton."

SCM 1001 proposes that the state naming board rename State Route 260 in north-central Arizona for Trump. The measure is a suggestion, not a mandate.

Although the measure failed, given the Republican control of the Senate, it was expected to be revived in a future floor session.

In 2022, Rogers introduced the same proposal, but it never got a committee hearing.

Reach the reporter at or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on social media @maryjpitzl .

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