Good little piece in Politico today about how a bunch of politicians few citizens even heard of are now leading nearly a quarter of the 50 states.
That list includes Kansas’ very own Governor, Mark Parkinson, who assumed the top job after Kathleen Sebelius resigned this spring.
Anybody remember Spitzer? Blago? Those are just the big names.
According to the National Lt. Governors Association, 10 current governors first served in the No. 2 spot. They are Nebraska, Arizona, New York, North Carolina, Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Texas, Virginia and Kansas.
Arizona gets an asterix, because there the secretary of state takes over if the governor leaves (in AZ’s case the former gov was Napolitano, now at Homeland Security).
Add Alaska to the list when Sarah Palin steps down. Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman will soon resign to become U.S. Ambassador to China. Mark Sanford's still in charge in South Carolina, last we checked.
“The ever increasing impact of the office of lieutenant governor on the leadership of the nation in the states is renewing interest in the office of lieutenant governor,” said Julia Hurst, director of the National Lieutenant Governor’s Association, in an email to reporters today.
The Politico piece makes the point that perhaps voters should pay a little more attention to that ‘other guy’ on the ticket, who may just find himself in charge.
