Efforts to maintain a legislative majority can sometimes create surprising political bedfellows. That was exemplified this past weekend during the Fancy Farm picnic.
During his speech aired on KET, Governor Beshear accused Republicans in the state's House of Representatives of obstruction, but complimented Senate Republicans, citing efforts to fund bridges over Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Beshear says, “House Republicans voted against funding those two projects, but House Democrats stepped up with Senate Republicans, and by golly, we're funding those bridges and we're gonna see them here in western Kentucky.”
The governor began his week with a ceremonial bill signing in Lexington. Afterwards, Beshear praised the spirit of cooperation that led to passage of the state budget, "The Senate Republicans worked with me and Senator Robert Stivers who's president of the Senate.” Beshear added, “We don't always agree on everything, but they are willing to sit down and work through issues and find common ground and that's all I ask of anybody, Democrat or Republican.”
Sarah Beth Gregory serves the senate district that's home to former Senate President David Williams. The Republican senator believes the governor had little choice but to work with her GOP colleagues, saying, "There's no other alternative there and in the House, a lot of the time, the Republican minority there has been pushed aside in negotiating processes.”
Gregory believes Republicans stand a good chance this November of attaining a majority in the Kentucky House. Governor Beshear says such a change in legislative majority would result in a higher degree of partisan gridlock.?
