“In the age of social media and Donald Trump appealing to people who think they’ve been disregarded or dispossessed, a lot of people who would not have felt comfortable engaging in the process now feel comfortable in not only engaging in it but challenging it,” said longtime political commentator Al Cross.
Only a handful of Kentuckians submitted each petition, and it remains to be seen how seriously lawmakers take them. Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers of the legislature.
The impeachment flurry began when four petitioners accused Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear of violating the state and U.S. constitutions with his restrictions to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19. That drew attention to a process that in prior years tended to fade away quietly if it came up at all.