North Carolina Governor 47th in Governor's power rankings

Not too much of a surprise here. According to a new study by Thad Beyle, an expert on governors and a retired professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill our state Governor doesn't have much political power. From a news review out today...

News and Observer
March 12, 2007
Rob Christensen and Barbara Barrett, Staff Writers

Easley comes in a lowly 47th in governors' power rankings

No one should be surprised if there is a power outage in Gov. Mike Easley's office. He doesn't have much to begin with.

That's according to a new study by Thad Beyle, an expert on governors and a retired professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Easley is rated the 47th most powerful governor in the nation based on factors such as tenure, budget authority, appointment and veto powers and whether the governor's party controls the legislature.

The most powerful governors are in Massachusetts, Alaska, Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia. Read more...