Topic 8 - Governor and LT Governor

Question 1

What are governors?

Answer 1

responsible for implementing laws and overseeing operations of the state executive branch

Question 2

Recruitment of governors

Answer 2

• Usual: considerable prior experience in public affairs
• Common: experience in other statewide, elected office
• Universal: political ambition

Question 3

After being governor

Answer 3

• Retire from public life
• Cabinet position (20%)
• US Senate (15%)
• Federal judicial appointment (15%)
• POTUSSSSSSSSSSSSSS?!?!!?!?!?!?!
  (can springboard into national executive office)

Question 4

Gubernational Elections

Answer 4

• always partisan, always contested
• almost always competitive
• expensive statewide race
• ‘mid term’ years
• term limits and restrictions vary by state
• modern governors enjoy incumbency advantage

Question 5

Removal from office

Answer 5

• Recall: political dissatisfaction, removal by voters ina recall election (13 states, not TX)
• Impeachment: in response to wrong doing, may be statutory criminal offence, (49 states, not OR)

Question 6

Growing in power

Answer 6

• nationwide trend of state governors playing a larger role
• leadership advantages
• Executive: full-time, professional, experienced staff
• Legislative: part-time, amature, lay
• Media wants to give poitics a face which ends up giving them more informal powers

Question 7

Roles of Governors

Answer 7

• administrators
• legislator
• ceremonial duties
• chief negociator
• public opinion leader
• party leader

Question 7

Two components of gobernatorial power

Answer 7

• Formal/Institutional
• Informal/Personal

Question 8

Appointment power

Answer 8

• institutional power
• power to choose other statewide executive officials
• key to the ‘strength’ of the office
• appointment is no guarentee of cooperation
• TX: very weak, most statewide elections are elected

Question 9

Tenure power/ potiential

Answer 9

• institional power
  ability of a governor to remain in office
• length of term
• re-election, reelegilbility restricions
• vary by state
• texas has no term limit or restrictons but few serve longer than 8 yrs

Question 10

managerial powers

Answer 10

• institutional power
• oversight of adminstarion, coordinatin of departmebnts
• (tx) executive orders typically infrequent and quite limited
• reorganization of exective branch including creastion of new exetutice agncies
• only 25 states (not tx)

Question 11

fiscal powers

Answer 11

• superficing preperation of state budget
• 48 states ( not texas)
• TX: govoner has weaker fiscal influence of any state
  
  • no formal input to content of budget (TX)
  • gov shares power to transfer money between programs for emergency needs
  • governer does have line veto

Question 12

legislative power

Answer 12

• institionalal power
• veto power
• veto is a bargainging power
• 30 special sessions of legislature
• agenda setting power
• can set pritiories for legisalture
• eariler votes allowed
• prestige of governer might help passage

Question 13

legislative powers (tx)

Answer 13

• tx: above average
• line veto for bills - final
• override: requires 2/3 votes of both houses
• will list emergencty items in **the state of the state **speech

Question 14

informal powers

Answer 14

• getting things done despite insituonal limits
• governors can use their leadship with the state
• depends on the personality nd polotical skill (but also opportunity and circumstance)
• ex: reputation, use of media, ability to persuade, popularity

Question 15

lieutenant governor

Answer 15

• powers can very greatly
• not very powerful in states
  
  • few formal powers in constitution
  • authority dependant on power delgated by governor
  • office ‘paired’ w governor on the ballot
  • stronger offices in states
    
    • office has legal foundation for competent powers
    • TX has a v powerful LT governor

Question 16

tx lt governor

Answer 16

• vewed as the mosted institionally powerful position in tx
• governor weak in formal power
• governor strong in formal power
• 4 year term
• ## not paired gov and lt gov

Question 17

lt governor in legislature

Answer 17

• ‘legislator in chief’ most powerdul state legislator
• president of TX senate
• procedural oversight
• broad legislative influence
• appoints senate commitees
• assigns bills to committees
• chairs or co-chairs postions o several powerful legislative board
• not ceremonial rols like vice pres

Question 18

lt governor and budget

Answer 18

• budget is the most imprtantbill
• no chair of 10 member **legislative budget board ** and appoints half od its members
• agendsa swtting power

Question 19

no such things as absolute power

Answer 19

• governor are the top state evecutive and public face of state gov
• many share executive formal power w other state executives
• many states have pural executives