Gov. Andy Beshear‘s (D-KY) legislative policy input has been halted by the Republican supermajority in the general assembly, as the Kentucky state legislature overrode almost all of the Democratic governor’s 2026 session vetoes.
The Kentucky Senate and House supermajorities voted this week to override almost all of Beshear’s legislative vetoes, totaling over two dozen, showing the limits of the Democratic governor’s power in a red state where 80% of the state house and 84% of the state senate are controlled by Republicans.
“The General Assembly wasted no time on Day 59 of the 2026 Legislative Session, swiftly overriding all 32 of Governor Andy Beshear’s vetoes of various bills,” the Kentucky Senate majority said in a statement. “@GovAndyBeshear, by a wide margin, holds the record for most legislation enacted over a governor’s attempt to stop them.”
The Bluegrass State governor, who has not been shy about his ambitions for higher public office, had his legislative input on topics such as age restrictions for concealed firearm carry and voter ID overturned in the final week of the 2026 legislative session. All of his 32 vetoes, except three line-item vetoes to the two-year state budget, were overridden, according to Louisville Public Media.
In Kentucky, 18-year-olds will soon be able to obtain provisional licenses to conceal carry firearms after the General Assembly overrode Beshear’s veto to strike down the bill lowering the age from 21. In his veto message, Beshear argued that “Kentuckians under age 21 cannot rent a car, cannot buy alcohol, cannot buy tobacco products, cannot consume medical cannabis through vapor devices, and cannot be a State Representative or Senator,” saying these laws were “meant to protect our youth.”
The General Assembly also overrode Beshear’s veto of House Bill 139, a multifaceted elections bill that includes multiple provisions reforming state elections. The bill raises the limits on political donations, allows the state to work with the federal government to identify illegal immigrants voting in elections, and bars voters from relying on several forms of identification, such as electronic benefit transfer cards, Social Security cards, and food stamp identification cards.
“House Bill 139 would make it more difficult for Kentuckians to vote, erode the independence of the judiciary in elections, expand the authority of the State Board of Elections to share sensitive voter information with the federal government, and give part-time legislators more authority to shift campaign funds between accounts than ever before in our history,” Beshear wrote in his veto.
RANKING THE 2028 DEMOCRATIC HOPEFULS AT AL SHARPTON’S NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK
Several of the other veto overrides touched legislation that aims to reduce wasteful spending in Kentucky’s medicaid services, enhance protections for gun manufacturers from liability lawsuits, and raise the legal age to sports betting from 18 to 21.
The Washington Examiner has reached out to Beshear’s office for comment.