Gov. Terry McAuliffe also holds the record for most vetoes in one year, with 40 in 2017.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s love affair with superlatives — raise your hand if you’ve heard him refer enthusiastically to any noun as “the best in the country!” — is well-documented. With his final legislative session now in the rearview, the governor can claim a new one: top vetoer.
McAuliffe cemented his place in Virginia gubernatorial lore in March. He vetoed a record 91st bill, on his way to a total of 111 as of March 28, surpassing former Republican Gov. Jim Gilmore for title of most prolific exacter of executive oversight on the legislature in the history of the commonwealth.
The bill that broke the record, had he signed it, would have allowed individuals to discriminate against same-sex couples on the grounds of “religious freedom.” McAuliffe turned back a similar bill in 2016. Many of the bills he has vetoed are related to social issues or matters of progressive import, such as women’s access to health care, voting rights and gun control. In advancing his agenda, defense has been McAuliffe’s best offense.
Republicans, despite controlling both chambers of the legislature, do not have a veto-proof majority. This fact is not lost on McAuliffe, who made sure to point out his 71-0 record on veto override votes in his final “State of the Commonwealth” address back in January.
The streak held last month, when lawmakers returned to Richmond and Republicans failed to overturn any of the governor’s record 40 vetoes. Fireworks may have been few, but don’t say the Macker didn’t do his part to make it the most eventful reconvene session in state history.
