Chapter 10

Executing the Laws and Representing

the People
Trifecta Control of Legislature and Governor 2002-2017
January for each year except 2017, which is based on 2016 election results.
Party Control of Legislature and Governor After 2016 Elections
 Figure 10.2
Trifecta Control States, January of Each Year

Year Rep Trifecta Dem Trifecta Total

2002 11 11 22
2004 12 9 21
2006 12 7 19
2008 9 14 23
2010 9 17 26
2012 21 11 32
2014 23 13 36
2016 22 7 29
RECRUITMENT OF GOVERNORS

• PRIOR EXPERIENCE

• STATEWIDE OFFICE

• STATE LEGISLATURE
GUBERNATORIAL ELECTIONS

• PARTISAN

• CONTESTED

• INCUMBENT ADVANTAGE
GOVERNOR’ S CAREERS

•PRESIDENCY
•FEDERAL CABINET
•U.S. SENATE
•FEDERAL JUDGES
 GOV. DUTIES
•ADMINISTRATOR 28%
•LEGISLATOR 17%
•PARTY 7%
•CEREMONIAL 14%
•NEGOTIATOR 14%
•PUBLIC OPINION 9%
INSTITUTIONAL POWER
•APPOINTMENT
•TENURE
•MANAGERIAL
•FISCAL
•LEGISLATIVE
 Figure 10.4
Governors’ Institutional Powers
 Figure 10.5
Governors’ Personal Powers
 Figure 10.6
Governors’ Institutional and Personal Powers
 Correlations With Governors’ Powers
Institutional Personal Combined
Per Capita Income .38 -.10 .14
Poverty Rate -.20 .07 -.05
TANF Monthly Benefit Family of 3 .34 -.07 .14
Percent Medicaid Paid by State and Local Government .26 .00 .16
Educational spending per child in ADA .31 -.11 .09
Infant Mortality Rate Per 100,000 Live Births -.10 .01 -.05
State and Local Tax Burden .14 -.00 .09
Regressivity of State and Local Taxes .18 -.02 .09
Per Capita State and Local Revenue .32 -.01 .19
Per Capita State and Local Expenditure .28 -.01 .17
Per Capita State and Local Long Term Debt .28 .12 .28
Violent Crime Rate -.04 .20 .15
Property Crime Rate -.21 .08 -.05
High School Educational Attainment .32 -.20 .01
College Educational Attainment .32 -.08 .12
Percent Population Conservative -.27 -.03 -.19
Percent Population Republican -.11 -.08 -.01
Republican Percent of State Legislature -.16 .13 .01
Prisoners Per 100,000 Population -.35 .15 -.06
New Prisoners Per 100,000 Population -.12 .21 .11
Restrictiveness of Abortion Policies -.05 .06 .02
Percent Revenue from Personal Income Tax .10 -.07 .01
Percent Income From Corporate income Tax .06 -.04 -.01
Governors’ Salaries
 Figure 10.8
Governor’s Salary 2016

>$100K

$100-$130K

>$130-150K

>$150K
 Figure 10.9
Correlations With Governors Salary

Salary
Governors’ Institutional Powers .20
Governors’ Personal .15
Governors’ Combined Powers .25
Per Capita Income .35
Per Capita State and Local Expenditures .19
Per Capita State and Local Total Revenue .18
Number of bills submitted in legislature .47
Number of bills passed by legislature .22
Percent of bills passed by legislature -.29
Legislators’ salaries .63
Legislative Professionalism -.48
Length of legislative session .33
Governor’s staff .31
 TEXAS EXECUTIVE
DEPARTMENT
• GOVERNOR
• LT. GOVERNOR
• COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCTS
• LAND COMMISSIONER
• ATTORNEY GENERAL
 Figure 10.10
Representativeness of State and Local Government
Employment 2013

State and Local U.S

Government Population
Employees
Male 54.3% 49.2%
Female 45.7% 50.8%

White 65.3% 63.9%

African-American 18.8% 12.3%
Hispanic 11.3% 16.3%
 Figure 10.8 Population Employed by State and
Local Governments

0.50%
r = -.50
Percent of Population Employed by State and Local

HI

0.40%

AK
Governments

DE
0.30%
ND

NM
WY

VT
AR
WV
MT OK LAMS
0.20%
RI UT KY AL
WA NJ
SD NE
CTIA SCMD
VA
ME KS MO NC
OR MN IN
NH ID MI PA NY
CO TN MA
GA TX
WI AZ OH FL CA
NV IL
0.10%

0 10,000,000 20,000,000 30,000,000 40,000,000

Population