Topic 8 - Governor and LT Governor Flashcards
1
Q
What are governors?
A
responsible for implementing laws and overseeing operations of the state executive branch
2
Q
Recruitment of governors
A
- Usual: considerable prior experience in public affairs
- Common: experience in other statewide, elected office
- Universal: political ambition
3
Q
After being governor
A
- Retire from public life
- Cabinet position (20%)
- US Senate (15%)
- Federal judicial appointment (15%)
- POTUSSSSSSSSSSSSSS?!?!!?!?!?!?!
(can springboard into national executive office)
4
Q
Gubernational Elections
A
- 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
5
Q
Removal from office
A
- 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)
6
Q
Growing in power
A
- 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
7
Q
Roles of Governors
A
- administrators
- legislator
- ceremonial duties
- chief negociator
- public opinion leader
- party leader
7
Q
Two components of gobernatorial power
A
- Formal/Institutional
- Informal/Personal
8
Q
Appointment power
A
- 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
9
Q
Tenure power/ potiential
A
- 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
10
Q
managerial powers
A
- 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)
11
Q
fiscal powers
A
- 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
12
Q
legislative power
A
- 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
13
Q
legislative powers (tx)
A
- 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
14
Q
informal powers
A
- 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
