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Besides the formal power to prepare the budget and veto legislation, legislators also have the power to call special sessions of the legislature for a wide array of reasons. For instance, sessions may be called to address budgetary issues during an economic downturn, to put together a redistricting plan, or to focus intensively on a particular issue the governor wants rectified immediately.
National Conference of State Legislatures. 6 May 2009. “Special Sessions,” http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/special-sessions472.aspx. In some states, only the governor has the power to call a special session, while in other states this power is shared between the legislative and the executive branches.
For more details on the calling of legislative Special Sessions , visit the National Conference of State Legislatures website.
Although governors have a great deal of power in the legislative arena, this is not their only area of influence. First, as leaders in their political party, governors often work to raise money for other political figures who are up for reelection. A governor who has high public approval ratings may also make campaign appearances on behalf of candidates in tough reelection fights across the state. Governors can draw in supporters, contributions, and media attention that can be beneficial to other political aspirants, and the party will expect them to do their part to ensure the greatest possible number of victories for their candidates. Second, as the spokesperson for their state, governors make every effort to sell the state’s virtues and unique characteristics, whether to the media, to other citizens across the United States, to potential business owners, or to legislative leaders in Washington, DC. Governors want to project a positive image of their state that will encourage tourism, relocation, and economic investment within its boundaries. Collectively, governors make a mark through the National Governors Association , which is a powerful lobbying force in the nation’s capital.
For example, Texas governor Greg
Abbott made headlines in 2015 for writing to the CEO of General Electric (GE), urging the company to relocate its corporate headquarters from Connecticut, which had just raised its corporate tax rate, to Texas.
Patrick Svitek, “Abbott Tries Wooing General Electric to Texas,”
The Texas Tribune , 10 June 2015. https://www.texastribune.org/2015/06/10/abbott-looks-woo-general-electric-connecticut/. As his state’s spokesperson, Abbott promoted Texas’s friendly corporate tax structure and investment in transportation and education funding in hopes of enticing GE to relocate there and bring economic opportunities with it. The company has since decided to relocate to Boston, after receiving incentives, worth up to $145 million, from Massachusetts officials.
Ted Mann and Jon Kamp, “General Electric to Move Headquarters to Boston,”
The Wall Street Journal , 13 January 2016. http://www.wsj.com/articles/general-electric-plans-to-move-headquarters-to-boston-1452703676. Another example involved Texas governor Rick
Perry touring California in 2014 in order to bring prospective businesses from the Golden State to Texas.
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