Although most governors were elected in 2022, voters will elect three new governors in the states of Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi in 2023. Aside from the governors of New Hampshire and Vermont who are elected for two-year positions, governors serve a four-year term.
As the managers of a state or commonwealth, governors oversee area operations and implement laws. They advance and pursue new and revised policies and programs by using a variety of tools, including executive orders, executive budgets, legislative proposals, and vetoes. Governors play a key role in the approval of state budgets and appropriations, enactment of legislation, confirmation of executive and judicial appointments, and legislative oversight of executive branch functions.
As an active and engaged Pharmacy Voter, you have seen concrete examples over the years of how governors have played a critical role in the future – and fate – of pro-patient and pro-pharmacy policies and whether they are enacted into law. Governors have called for special legislative sessions that granted more time to build support, added to or took from state legislative policy or funding proposals and sat in major power positions deciding whether a bill would be signed into law or rejected via veto. Put simply, governors can have significant impact on the pharmacy agenda.
Today’s sitting governors represent a diversity of backgrounds. The Rutgers University Eagleton Institute of Politics Center on the American Governor reports the average age of sitting governors is 59.28 with the youngest governor 40 years old and oldest governor 78 years old. Fourteen were not born in the state they lead, and one was born in Japan.
One governor attended college but did not receive a degree, forty-nine received bachelor’s degrees, and thirty-three received advanced degrees – with sixteen achieving JD law degrees, one earning a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree, five earning MBA business degrees and one accomplishing a PhD.
Although ten have had no prior elective office, twelve have served in the lower chamber of their state government, twelve have served in the upper chamber of their state government, ten have served in the U.S. House of Representatives, and one served in the U.S. Senate.
If you were not aware of these sitting governor facts, it is possible you may not know the facts about all of candidates running for governor or other offices. NACDS RxIMPACT encourages you to visit pharmacyvoter.org to learn more about who is running for office. Take note of the below primaries to ensure you are prepared to vote for your candidates of choice!
IMPORTANT NOTE: Our voter registration services are available without regard to the voter’s political preference. Information and other assistance regarding registering or voting, and other serviced offered, shall not be withheld, or refused on the basis of support for or opposition to particular candidates or a particular party.