Thread by @chriscooperwcu

Following the 2024 NC gubernatorial election requires us to hold two seemingly contradictory things in our heads at the same time: (1) The NC gubernatorial election is among the most important elections in the country, (2) the NC Governor is extremely weak

A wonky #ncpol 🧵

On point 1: The Governor is the rhetorical political leader of the state. Like EF Hutton, when they talk, people listen. Whether or not they have actual power is beside the point to most citizens; people think the Gov is powerful, therefore (to some degree), they are.

In terms of partisanship, right now the country is divided 26 R Governors to 24 D. Sure they don’t vote together like a legislature, but each election takes on amped up importance because of the tight partisan balance. Map from governors.rutgers.edu/fast-facts-abo…

Cooper is also one of only 2 Dem Governors in the South (no, I don’t count KY as the South; get off my lawn), and the outcome of this election will say a lot about whether we are a 1 party or a 2-party region.

As Gov. Cooper has demonstrated (to some people’s relief & to other’s chagrin), politically adept governors can use their limited power to affect a lot of change (hello, Covid). & if we go back to an #ncga without supermajority control, the Gov's power to stop legislation will ⬆️

On point 2: In 1776, delegate to the NC Constitutional Convention William Hooper noted that they had given the Governor “just enough power to sign the receipt for his own salary.” 2 constitutions later, things have changed, but not by a lot.

NC was the last state in the country to give the Governor the veto power in 1996, but it is about the weakest veto imaginable.

See @BryanRAnderson's piece in @TheAssemblyNC: theassemblync.com/politics/roy-c…

Today, the NC Gov is one of only 6 in the country w/o line item veto power.

The NC Gov has virtually no power over the budget, except to sign or not sign it. As for the Gov's budget--as a legislator once told me, “the Gov's budget is extremely valuable—where else are you going to find a cheap doorstop when you need one?”

On appointments: Until 2018, the Governor had power to appoint ~1500 people to various positions (still fairly limited, compared to other states). In 2018 the NCGA reduced this # to ~300.

As @olpolhack said at the time, the NC Governor, already among the weakest in the country "are on their way to becoming a potted plant.”

& now there are attempts to reduce Gov. power even further. Clip from @TravisFain story:

wral.com/story/former-n…

So—pay attention to the #ncgov race; it’s extremely important, symbolically and substantively. Their words matter & a politically adept Gov. can affect policy change (+ & -).

But remember that no Gov is a king, and the NC Gov is the least king-like of any Gov in the country. Much of their power hinges on #ncga partisan control, so when a Gov candidate talks like their wishes will be translated into action, ask yourself if they have that power.

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