Deck 7: Governors: Power, Politics and Executive Leadership

Question 1

Today's governors are generally

A)well-qualified chief executives with some legislative experience.
B)back-slapping, cigar-smoking wheelers and dealers.
C)uneducated individuals who lack legislative experience.
D)well-qualified chief executives with solely private sector experience.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The power to reorganize state government is an important one. Traditionally, that power belongs to the

A)governor, under constitutional authority in thirty-six states.
B)legislature, and few, if any, have given away that power.
C)legislatures, but today more than twenty states grant their governors this authority.
D)governor.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

According to one study cited in the text, the amount of tension between the executive and legislative branches is influenced by which of the three factors given below?

A)Pork barrel politics, the condition of the national economy, and whether the state is located in the Sunbelt
B)The level of control exercised by the governor's party over the legislature, the price of oil, and the amount of time until the next presidential election
C)Money, the education level of the governor versus the education levels of the leaders in the legislature, and gubernatorial charisma
D)The size of the majority and the minority parties relative to each other, the personalities of the governor and legislative leaders, and the amount of time until the next election year

Answer 3

D

Question 4

If a governor unilaterally issues a rule that changes executive branch operations or activities, she is using the power of a(n)

A)bureaucratic order.
B)executive amendment.
C)executive order.
D)executive agreement.

Question 5

The gubernatorial role as chief legislator depends heavily on

A)the development of a positive relationship between the governor and the legislators.
B)attainment by the governor's party of an 80 to 90 percent majority in the legislature.
C)the governor's ability to place bills directly into the "hopper."
D)the ability to gain press coverage for almost any event or issue.

Question 6

The formal powers of governors are those derived from

A)the political support that the governors can muster.
B)the U.S. Constitution.
C)their personal traits.
D)state constitutions.

Question 7

Of the following, which set of conditions provide governor's with the most formal power?

A)A long tenure in office, few opportunities to appoint agency heads, no line item veto, and the responsibility to prepare the budget
B)A short tenure in office, few opportunities to appoint agency heads, no line item veto, and the responsibility to prepare the budget
C)A long tenure in office, no opportunities to appoint agency heads, no line item veto, and the responsibility to prepare the budget
D)A long tenure in office, many opportunities to appoint agency heads, a line item veto, and the responsibility to prepare the budget

Question 8

The line item veto, which is used by governors to strike one or more sections of a bill, is

A)a very recent innovation in the states.
B)available in one form or another in more than forty states.
C)available only at the federal level, but it is currently being considered by a number of states.
D)of fairly recent origin, having been devised by Ronald Reagan when he was governor of California.

Question 9

The governors' role as chief administrator has been

A)increased because they have found it necessary to micromanage the state's day-to-day affairs.
B)undercut by the shift of federal programs and dollars to the states.
C)strengthened by reforms that have concentrated executive powers in the governor's office.
D)welcomed by nearly all governors, who prefer it to the role of policy maker.

Question 10

Most governors claim that the most important staff person in their office is the

A)chief of staff.
B)press secretary.
C)chief budget officer.
D)director of legislative relations.

Question 11

The availability of strong gubernatorial formal powers is

A)no assurance that governors will perform their duties more effectively.
B)the norm among governors in all but two states.
C)more important to the effectiveness of governors than the availability of informal powers.
D)uncommon because legislative supremacy is the norm in most states.

Question 12

In gubernatorial political races, incumbency

A)apparently provides no significant advantage because most incumbent governors have lost their bids for reelection during the past twenty years.
B)is the deciding factor, far outweighing money and the strength of the candidate's political party in the state electorate.
C)is rarely a factor because so few sitting governors can legally run for a second term.
D)provides an important edge over an opponent, as reflected in the fact that during the past thirty-five years, around 75 percent of incumbents have retained their seats.

Question 13

Governor's with strong negotiating and bargaining skills, high levels of public support ,and the ability to exercise public relations and media skills may be described as possessing

A)weak informal powers.
B)strong informal powers.
C)weak formal powers.
D)strong formal powers.

Question 14

The governor's ability to hire, fire, motivate, and punish is severely restricted by

A)the courts and merit-system rules and regulations.
B)other elected executive branch officials pursuing their own administrative and political agendas.
C)collective bargaining contracts.
D)All of these choices.

Question 15

The governor's budget effectively sets the legislative agenda at the beginning of each session because

A)it frames the important policy issues and attaches price tags to them.
B)once a governor sets the budget, legislatures have no control in a majority of states.
C)this informal power is greater than the formal powers of the legislative veto.
D)in most states, if the legislature does not adopt the governor's budget, the governor can recess the legislative session.

Question 16

Which of the following is not a factor that contributes to stronger policy leadership from chief executives in recent years?

A)Larger and more capable staffs
B)More integrated executive branch with department heads appointed by the governor
C)Stronger legislative committee systems that reduce the influence of parties
D)The assistance of the National Governors Association

Question 17

Appointment power is considered by governors to be a valuable tool for

A)ensuring success in the highly regarded practice known as nepotism.
B)further fragmenting responsibility within the executive branch.
C)avoiding responsibility for executive branch mistakes.
D)managing state agencies.

Question 18

Governors serve as the major points of contact between their states and the president, Congress, and federal agencies. This role is known as

A)intergovernmental coordinator.
B)intragovernmental coordinator.
C)economic development coordinator.
D)legislative-judicial facilitator.

Question 19

The states' governors are

A)very representative as a whole of the population in terms of race and gender.
B)white males, except for several women who succeeded their husbands upon their death in office.
C)predominantly white males, but now are somewhat more representative of the population, with several Hispanics, African Americans, and women serving or having served.
D)mostly white males, but black and white females have now won 25 percent of the gubernatorial seats.

Question 20

Cutting the ribbon for a new highway, or pinning the winning medal to the winner of a beauty contest are examples of which gubernatorial role that often consumes a larger portion of their workweek than any other role?

A)Top policy maker
B)Chief legislator
C)Ceremonial leader
D)Economic development promoter

Question 21

Despite many recent reforms, a number of states still elect several heads of state agencies and their governors face a fragmented bureaucracy as a result.

Question 22

States that grant their governors strong formal powers include Alabama, New Hampshire, and Oklahoma.

Question 23

Surveys of past governors indicate that they consider appointment power to be the most important weapon in their arsenal when it comes to managing state agencies.

Question 24

Lieutenant governors serve the purpose of ensuring orderly succession in the event of the loss of the governor and

A)are provided for in all states.
B)are provided for in all but seven states.
C)are always members of the governor's cabinet.
D)must come from the same political party as the governor.

Question 25

The cost of gubernatorial campaigns is less expensive today than in the past because of public financing.

Question 26

The governor's role as intergovernmental coordinator is becoming less important with each passing year, which reflects the diminishing importance of states in the American system of federalism.

Question 27

Pork barrel refers to favoritism by a governor or other elected officials in distributing government monies or other resources to a particular program or jurisdiction.

Question 28

As governor, he/she serves as top policy maker, chief legislator, chief administrator, ceremonial leader, intergovernmental coordinator, economic development promoter, and political party leader.

Question 29

Since 1900, Jim Thompson of Illinois was the only governor to serve four consecutive four-year terms.

Question 30

New Hampshire and Vermont are the only states that restrict their governors to a single two-year term.

Question 31

Despite the prominence of state legislatures and difficulties with executive-legislative relations, governors dominate setting the policy agenda in most states.

Question 32

Among the governors' informal powers are their leadership skills, which include public relations and media skills. They provide

A)photo opportunities that naturally flow to any holder of the governor's office.
B)free re-election campaign visibility, but the media are best left to staffers with public relations skills in nonelection years.
C)a public forum that allows the governor unchallenged opportunities to polish his or her image.
D)public support for the governor's programs, if the governor can cultivate the media.

Question 33

The secretary of state in state government

A)performs the same duties as the secretary of state in the national government.
B)is usually appointed by the governor to oversee agricultural policy.
C)is primarily involved in record keeping and election responsibilities.
D)is most often responsible for disbursement of state funds.

Question 34

During the early days of the nation, the state legislatures, rather than voters, typically elected governors.

Question 35

Gubernatorial elections have become distinct from national elections now that thirty-nine states hold them in non-presidential election years.

Question 36

After the colonial experience with royal governors, the evolution of the governorship can be characterized as a struggle to provide the state executive with necessary powers to meet the demands of the office.

Question 37

Only two African Americans have been elected governors.

Question 38

Most governors dominate the policy agenda in their states by working closely with legislative leaders.

Question 39

The state treasurer

A)is elected in a majority of states and is the official trustee and manager of state funds.
B)is elected in all fifty states because it is believed he is the guardian of the state funds and should be independent of the governor.
C)manages state funds but is legally divorced from responsibility for their investment.
D)is found in only a few states where the management of state pension funds is his or her sole responsibility.

Question 40

Which executive official is responsible for rendering formal written opinions on legal issues, and can also question the constitutionality of actions by the governor?

A)Lieutenant Governor
B)Secretary of State
C)Treasurer
D)Attorney General

Question 41

An executive order is a rule, regulation, or policy issued unilaterally by the governor to affect executive branch operations or activities.

Question 42

Of the more than 2,100 governors who have held office, only twenty-three have actually been impeached or removed from office or resigned under a cloud of legal problems.

Question 43

Describe the formal and informal powers generally held by governors. Discuss which of the powers in general (informal vs. formal)are the most important for a successful governor.

Question 44

Only the governors of Nevada, Maine, and six other states do not have the line item veto power.

Question 45

Governors must wear many hats; that is, they must handle many roles in their jobs as chief executive of their states. Discuss the various roles that a governor must handle that are featured in the text.

Question 46

The attorney general is the state's chief legal counsel (lawyer).

Question 47

You were just elected governor of your state. You now have to hire staff and prepare your agenda. Explain your priorities. What do you need to do to advance them, and with whom do you need to build a coalition to achieve your objectives?

Question 48

Seven states do not have lieutenant governors.

Question 49

Upon leaving office, the vast majority of governors continue their public service in another public venue.

Question 50

Trace the historic shifts, since the founding of the Republic, in the formal powers of the states' governors. Cite the major themes in public opinion or the political eras that have led to those shifts in allocation of power.

Question 51

Governors are expected to play a diverse set of roles in the state government. Discuss the different roles of the governor. Is there a particular role you find to be most important? Which one might be viewed as least important? Finally, could a governor be successful if they only focused on your most important role and neglected the least important?

Question 52

The only state in which the governor does not have veto power is Nebraska.

Question 53

Eighteen states do not elect the governor and lieutenant governor as a team.

Question 54

The states elect some 300 officials to their executive branches, not counting the fifty governors.

Question 55

The pocket veto, which is available in fourteen states, allows the governor, after the legislature has enacted a bill and then adjourned, to reject it by refusing to sign it.