Final veto showdown for Missouri's most-overridden governor

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers are set to expand Gov. Jay Nixon's already historic status as the state's most overridden governor, a record the Democrat earned after years of clashing with a Legislature under virtually unchecked Republican control.

Since Nixon took office in 2009, lawmakers have overridden 83 of his vetoes of bills and budget expenditures — nearly four times the combined total of all other governors' overrides dating back to Missouri's territorial days in the early 1800s.

It's unknown where Nixon ranks on the charts of most overridden governors during the nation's 240-year history, but he certainly appears unusual among contemporaries. And Nixon's override tally is nearly certain to expand Wednesday when lawmakers consider more than 20 bills he vetoed this year, his last in office.

"I think it's going to be a successful veto session," predicted Republican House Majority Leader Mike Cierpiot.

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