Two Governors' Veto Actions on 2026 State Legislation

In 2026, two U.S. governors vetoed bills passed by their state legislatures. In Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox vetoed two bills approved by the 2026 Utah Legislature after the legislative session had concluded. In Virginia, Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed a number of bills passed by the General Assembly, where members of her own Democratic Party hold legislative leadership roles. Among the Utah bills, Cox vetoed HB462, sponsored by Rep. Tiara Auxier, which would have established a grant program funded with approximately $325,000. The specific content or sponsors of the second vetoed Utah bill were not detailed in available reporting. In Virginia, one of the vetoed measures would have created a retail marijuana market in the state. The full list and total number of bills vetoed by Spanberger, as well as further details on the marijuana legislation's provisions, were not specified in available reporting. The current status of the vetoed bills—including whether legislators in either state plan to attempt an override—was not addressed in available reporting. In Virginia, a Virginia Tech political analyst characterized Spanberger's vetoes of bills from her own party as reflecting a power struggle between the governor and Democratic legislative leaders; this interpretation was not independently corroborated by other named sources. No comparable political analysis was reported regarding Cox's vetoes in Utah. The two events are unrelated except for their shared timing within the 2026 legislative cycle and their common subject matter of gubernatorial vetoes.