was re-elected in a landslide in 1974, becoming the first person to serve eight years as Nebraska Governor. His repeated vetoes of the legislature's spending programs earned Exon the reputation as a fiscal conservative. He vetoed 141 bills in his final seven years as Governor or an average of 20 a year. Exon was opposed to gay rights. As a candidate for governor, he voiced his opposition to a 'homophile studies' class at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, taught by Louis Crompton. As governor, Exon vetoed the legalization of gay sex in 1977, expressing opposition to "perverts, homos, and gays." The legislature overrode his veto, and Nebraska became among the first states to legalize same-sex intercourse. Senate career (1979–1997) Exon's popularity as Governor carried over to his 1978 campaign for the U.S. Senate, and he was elected with 68 percent of the vote. He had a reputation as a moderate Democrat, often working with Republicans on fiscal and military issues. While serving on the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, Exon was a strong defender of the B-2 stealth bomber. On October 19, 1983, Exon was one of four Democratic senators to vote against a bill establishing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The legislation was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan the following month. In 1984, Exon had the closest election in his political career, eventually winning re-election by 25,000 votes. He was re-elected again in 1990. He helped sponsor the Exon-Florio Amendment, which prevented takeovers or mergers by foreign companies of U.S. companies, if said merger was found to be a threat to national security. In 1988, Exon took 10 vacations paid for by lobbying groups. Exon helped to write and secure support for a spending reduction in the U.S. budget of $14 billion in 1994, which he stated was his proudest political achievement. His Communications Decency Act of 1996 was Congress' first effort to try to regulate content on the Internet with the goal of preventing access or transmission of pornography on the internet. It was later overturned by a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court as an unconstitutional infringement of the First Amendment. Final years and death After his retirement, Exon served on a Committee established by Congress and led by John M. Deutch on the threat of weapons of mass destruction. In the report, Exon warned of the dangers if such weapons fell into the hands of terrorists