In this era of COVID restrictions and deep, deep political division, numerous states have seen citizens so angry at their governor that they have initiated impeachment proceedings against him or her.
Based on research by Colin O’Bryan
And while impeachment petitions are not uncommon, in the past they were usually consigned to a committee and thereby buried. This year, however, four states besides Kentucky have seen impeachments against their governor that seemed serious enough to make the evening news.
Governor impeachment petitions in other states
Mike DeWine (R-Ohio)
- Who: Four Republican legislators filed impeachment articles against him in December 2020.
- Reason: They said he violated state and federal laws by requiring masks in public and ordering some businesses to close.
- Disposition: The articles were never taken up by any House committees.
Gretchen Whitmer (D-Michigan)
- Who: A county board initiated the motion, which was then filed in the state House by a Republican legislator.
- Reason: They said she violated the Michigan constitution by exceeding her authority, extending the state of emergency w/o legislative approval, and impeding the constitutional rights of citizens.
- Disposition: The Speaker of the Michigan House blocked the motion from moving forward.
Brad Little (R-Idaho)
- Who: An anonymous Idaho lawmaker wrote the articles, but was afraid to submit them for fear of “federal retaliation.” Rep. Chad Christensen then agreed to file the motion.
- Reason: They said the governor has violated several parts of the US and Idaho constitutions stemming from pandemic emergency orders, and appropriated $1B that Idaho received from the Cares Act w/o the legislature approving it.
- Disposition: The chair of the House State Affairs Committee is opposed to the motion. There is doubt that he will allow it to be heard.
Tom Wolf (D-Pennsylvania)
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- Who: A Republican lawmaker filed two impeachment petitions against the governor, one in July 2020 and another in December 2020.
- Reason: He said the governor’s COVID orders have violated the U.S. Constitution.
- Disposition: Too soon to tell, but most believe the Republican-led legislature will not hear the petition.
The comparison to the Beshear impeachment
None of the four impeachment motions listed above appear to have any chance of moving forward in their respective legislatures. Interestingly, all four of those state legislatures are controlled by Republicans.
It appears that of all the states where governors have actually had impeachment petitions or motions filed against them, Kentucky’s Republican-led legislature has taken the effort the furthest. They have created a special impeachment committee, and have held initial hearings. It is entirely possible that they could report the motion to the floor of the Kentucky House.
Why have Republicans in other states said that impeachment was not the way to handle their differences, even in swing states where their seats might not be safe … and yet Republicans in Kentucky seem open to moving the motion forward? It would be interesting to know the answers to that.
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