The Governor
And Other State Executives
The Job of Governor
• As we indicated earlier, Governors had little
power after the American Revolution
• Mainly this was because of the experience the
Americans had with Royal Governors
• So Governors were very restricted in their
powers and often were limited to one-year terms
• But Governors have been granted much more
power in recent decades and perform a number
of roles that are vital to the state
Chief Legislator
• The Governor typically has a great deal of influence over
the work of the legislature … may have a limited program
• They outline their “programs” in inaugural speeches and
in “State of the State” addresses
• One tool of the Governor with the legislature is his Veto
power … which, in most states, requires a supermajority to
override/Line-item Veto in most states as well
• Another major tool is command of state budgets … the
Maryland Governor is most powerful in this regard, but
almost every Governor has clout here
• The power to propose and implement the budget is
probably the Governor most important tool
The Governor is the Head of State
Agencies … the Chief Administrator
• Nearly all Governors can appoint their own
cabinet officials and many can reorganize state
government
• The power to appoint people to run state
departments gives the Governor a chance to see
that his policies are carried out
• The Governor appoints many other positions as
well, including Highway Commissioners, Game
and Fish Commissioners, members of Boards of
Trustees of universities, etc.
Chief Spokesperson for the State
• Governor Mike Beebe is essentially the chief
spokesperson for Arkansas …
• Governor Haley Barber (R, Mississippi) is a good example
of a strong leader who not only could make strong
decisions in crisis (Katrina) , but could communicate them
well … he may be a contender for the GOP nomination
• Governors attempt to lure industry and jobs
• They are sort of like Chief Salesmen
• They do other things in this regard: Governor of Arkansas
betting a ham that the Razorbacks will beat Texas in
football, for instance
• Often they put their picture on everything … state maps
and brochures, advertisements, etc.
Political Party Chief
• Typically the Governor is the titular head of
his political party in the state
• The head of his party usually serves at his
behest
• Some Governors recruit and raise money for
candidates for other statewide offices and the
legislature
• Governors may help the national party win
the state in the presidential election
Commander-in-Chief of the National
Guard
• The Governor is the head of the national guard
in every state
• But who controls the national guard … the
Governor or the President?
• The federal government pays for them … so the
Court has generally upheld the power of the
federal government to have the last word on
deployment of national guards
• In 2006, Congress made it even easier for the
President to take command of the Guard in case
of disaster … all 50 Governors protested this law
The Powers of the Governor
• Governors have both formal powers and informal powers
… the most successful Governors use both effectively
• Formal powers include
– Appointment powers … picking their own team, getting people
who share their views, and selecting people to fill hundreds of
appointments to boards and commissions
– Prepare state budgets … gives a lot of influence with legislators
and agencies
– Veto power … makes legislators much more sensitive to the
Governor’s position … all but seven Governors have line-item
veto powers … usually over spending bills
– Pardoning power … the death penalty/possibility of selling
pardons?
– Power to call Special Sessions … limit the agenda during session
Informal Powers of Governors
• Popular Support … it helps to have popular support. If a
Governor wins election by 65-70% of the vote, it gives him
power with the legislature … they maintain their support
with effective public relations
• Party Support in the Legislature … it helps having members
of your own party as a majority in the legislature … plus
many legislators want things he can give them.
• Ability to communicate … is vital … good relations with the
media is useful, good relations with legislators too …
though some Governors don’t focus on legislative relations
(Blagojevich, Huckabee, others)
• Very successful Governors merge the formal and informal
powers of the office effectively ….
Becoming Governor/Staying Governor
• Most Governors are white, middle-aged males
• More women Governors … nine in 2007 … six in 2011
• Few Black Governors … two elected in our history: Doug Wilder
(Virginia) and Deval Patrick (Massachusetts) … Patrick is currently
serving as Governor
• Some non-politicians … like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jesse Ventura,
Mark Warner
• Most served in some other governmental capacity, such as in the
legislature … for instance, Governor Mike Beebe of Arkansas was
first elected to the State Senate in 1982 … where he served until he
was elected Attorney General in 2002 … he was first elected
Governor in 2006 & won re-election in 2010
• They have to be able to raise money … lots of money
• Gubernatorial races in 2002 exceeded $840 million
Factors affecting Gubernatorial
Elections
• Off-Year elections are typical … 34 states, with 5 more holding
elections in an odd-numbered year, such as Virginia last year.
• Mainly elections are held in even-numbered, off-years to insulate
the contests from national issues. That may not always work.
• Most Governors have a 4-year term … only two states (NH and
Vermont) have 2-year terms
• Still national issues certainly seem to affect outcomes in
Governor’s races …and the state economy is important too
• Democrats have been dominant in gubernatorial contests for most
of the 20th century … reversed for a while in 1994 and reinstated in
2006.
• When voting for Governor, voters are more likely to “vote for the
person” rather than the party
Keeping and Leaving Office
• The office of Governor is pretty stable … states change Governor about
1.4 times per decade
• They are viewed more favorably than legislators
• A few Governors have been impeached … Blagojevich in Illinois was
impeached last year
• The most recent Governor to be “recalled” was Gray Davis of California in
2003 … what about Scott Walker of Wisconsin?
• Sometimes Governors have to resign because they are convicted of
crimes … like Jim Guy Tucker of Arkansas in 1996.
• Term limits constrain time in office … as in Arkansas, the Governor is
limited to two four-year terms
• Often Governors move on to the US Senate … or the Presidency when
they leave the Governorship.
• George Bush appointed a number of Governors to the Cabinet, as did
Barack Obama
Other Executive Offices
• Lt. Governor … what does the Lt. Governor do?
Presides over the Senate in several states & has
real power in Texas. That is an exception.
• In 24 states, the Governor and Lt. Governor run
on the same ticket. But not in Arkansas or Texas.
• Eight states don’t even have a Lt. Governor
• When the Governor leaves the state of Arkansas,
the Lt. Governor becomes Acting Governor …
and can make appointments, sign bills, etc.
Attorney General
• The “top law enforcement officer” in the state? But his duties are
pretty minimal
• Many Attorney Generals have made a name for themselves by
joining class action law suits, such as the one against tobacco
companies in the 1990’s.
• AG’s often use the office as a springboard for higher offices, such
as Governor or US Senator
• Because of close ties with “trial lawyers,” AG’s have typically been
Democrats.
• In Arkansas the Attorney General represents state agencies and
defends the constitutionality of state statutes or actions
• Also, in Arkansas, the AG handles criminal appeals & provides
advice on various laws, such as the FOI Act.
Other Offices: Arkansas elects 7
statewide officers
• Secretary of State is the one you’ll hear most
about … maintains state records & regulations,
corporate documents, publishes state laws,
registers lobbyists, etc.
• Treasurer … some responsibility for signing state
warrants and checks, investing state funds
• Auditor … some responsibility for keeping records
of state expenditures & accounting for them
• Land Commissioner … is in charge of state lands,
conducts sales of property in tax arrears, etc.
Other States
• Some elect a Superintendent of Education for
the state
• Others elect Agriculture Secretaries
• Some elect a variety of commissions … such as
the Education Commission (Illinois)