Leadership positions in state legislatures

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
SLP badge.png
Leadership Positions in State Legislatures
President of the Senate • President Pro Tempore • Senate Majority Leader • Senate Minority Leader • House Majority Leader • House Minority Leader • State Speaker of the House

Leadership at the state legislative level refers to a range of different positions, including senate presidents and presidents pro tempore, house and assembly speakers, and minority and majority leaders.

Voters typically have little direct say in who holds these positions. Instead, the members of the legislatures themselves usually select their leadership. A notable exception to this rule are the 26 state senates in which the lieutenant governor serves as the senate president. Voters generally elect lieutenant governors directly (except in Tennessee and West Virginia where the title of lieutenant governor is given to the Senate leader, whom the members of the chamber have the responsibility of selecting).

While the power and authority—and even the names—of leadership positions vary from chamber-to-chamber and state-to-state, leaders in state legislatures generally play influential roles in the four, often interconnected, areas listed below.

The Legislative Process

All levels of leadership in state legislatures play a role in determining a bill’s chances of becoming a law, but top leadership positions can exert decisive control over these processes. Presiding officers such as speakers and senate presidents (or presidents pro tem), for example, can use parliamentary procedures to shape debates to their liking. Legislative leaders also control the processes through which legislation is referred to committees, and they often dictate the ebb and flow of the legislative calendar. This latter power helps leaders to set agendas for their party and the chamber as a whole and to develop strategies for executing those agendas. On top of all of this, leaders are usually the chief deal makers, negotiating both with members of the other party and factions within their own.

Elections

Leaders often play a significant role in both the public and behind-the-scenes processes of state legislative elections. For example, they might appear at a legislator’s or candidate's campaign event or hold a fundraiser for them. Similarly, they might work with state party officials to develop strategies for holding on to their majority, for flipping their chamber or a specific seat, or for filling potential vacancies.

Management

Institutional management covers an array of tasks, including making committee assignments, naming committee chairs, appointing legislators to task forces, enforcing disciplinary measures, managing office spaces, and overseeing the chamber’s facility staff.

Career Advancement

Because legislative leaders make committee assignments and hold the keys to the committee chair positions, they have the power to advance and stall the career of individual legislators. A leader, for example, could advance the career of an up-and-coming legislator by naming him or her as the chair of a powerful committee that comes with a high public profile and the ability to influence important legislation. Alternatively, a leader could also appoint that legislator as a rank-and-file member of a lesser known and less influential committee, thereby diminishing that legislator’s influence and their public profile.

State legislative leadership positions

State senates

State houses

v • e
President of the Senate
SLP badge.png
AL: Will Ainsworth (R) • AK: Gary Stevens (R) • AZ: Warren Petersen (R) • AR: Leslie Rutledge (R) • CA: Eleni Kounalakis (D) • CO: Stephen Fenberg (D) • CT: Susan Bysiewicz (D) • DE: Bethany Hall-Long (D) • FL: Kathleen Passidomo (R) • GA: Burt Jones (R) • HI: Ronald Kouchi (D) • ID: Chuck Winder (R) • IL: Don Harmon (D) • IN: Suzanne Crouch (R) • IA: Amy Sinclair • KS: Ty Masterson (R) • KY: Robert Stivers (R) • LA: Patrick Cortez (R) • ME: Troy Dale Jackson (D) • MD: William Ferguson IV (D) • MA: Karen Spilka (D) • MI: Garlin Gilchrist II (D) • MN: Bobby Joe Champion (D) • MS: Delbert Hosemann (R) • MO: Mike Kehoe (R) • MT: Jason Ellsworth (R) • NE: Joe Kelly (R) • NV: Stavros S. Anthony (R) • NH: Jeb Bradley (R) • NJ: Nicholas Scutari (D) • NM: Howie Morales (D) • NY: Brian Benjamin (D) • NC: Mark Robinson (R) • ND: Tammy Miller (R) • OH: Matt Huffman (R) • OK: Matt Pinnell (R) • OR: Rob Wagner (D) • PA: Austin Davis (D) • RI: Dominick Ruggerio (D) • SC: Thomas Alexander (R) • SD: Larry Rhoden (R) • TN: Randy McNally (R) • TX: Dan Patrick (R) • UT: Stuart Adams (R) • VT: David Zuckerman (D) • VA: Winsome Sears (R) • WA: Denny Heck (D) • WV: Craig Blair (R) • WI: Chris Kapenga (R) • WY: Ogden Driskill (R)
v • e
State senate majority leaders
SLP badge.png
AL: Steve Livingston (R) • AK: Shelley Hughes (R) • AZ: Sonny Borrelli (R) • AR: Blake Johnson (R) • CA: Mike McGuire (D) • CO: Dominick Moreno (D) • CT: Bob Duff (D) • DE: Bryan Townsend (D) • FL: Ben Albritton (R) • GA: Steve Gooch (R) • HI: Dru Kanuha (D) • ID: Kelly Anthon (R) • IL: Kimberly Lightford (D) • IN: Chris Garten (R) • IA: Jack Whitver (R) • KS: Larry Alley (R) • KY: Damon Thayer (R) • ME: Eloise Vitelli (D) • MD: Nancy King (D) • MA: Cynthia Stone Creem (D) • MI: Winnie Brinks (D) • MN: Kari Dziedzic (D) • MO: Cindy O'Laughlin (R) • MT: Steve Fitzpatrick (R) • NV: Nicole Cannizzaro (D) • NH: Sharon Carson (R) • NJ: Teresa Ruiz (New Jersey) (D) • NM: Peter Wirth (D) • NY: Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D) • NC: Paul Newton (R) • ND: David Hogue (R) • OH: Kirk Schuring (R) • OK: Greg McCortney (R) • OR: Kate Lieber (D) • PA: Joe Pittman (R) • RI: Ryan Pearson (D) • SC: Shane Massey (R) • SD: Casey Crabtree (R) • TN: Jack Johnson (R) • UT: Evan Vickers (R) • VT: Alison Clarkson (D) • VA: Dick Saslaw (D) • WA: Andy Billig (D) • WV: Tom Takubo (R) • WI: Devin LeMahieu (R) • WY: Larry S. Hicks (Wyoming) (R)
v • e
Speakers of the House
SLP badge.png
AL: Nathaniel Ledbetter (R) • AK: Cathy Tilton (R) • AZ: Ben Toma (R) • AR: Matthew Shepherd (R) • CA: Robert Rivas (D) • CO: Julie McCluskie (D) • CT: Matthew Ritter (D) • DE: Valerie Longhurst (D) • FL: Paul M. Renner (R) • GA: Jon Burns (R) • HI: Scott Saiki (D) • ID: Mike Moyle (R) • IL: Chris Welch (D) • IN: Todd Huston (R) • IA: Pat Grassley (R) • KS: Daniel Hawkins (R) • KY: David Osborne (R) • LA: Clay Schexnayder (R) • ME: Rachel Ross (D) • MD: Adrienne Jones (D) • MA: Ronald Mariano (D) • MI: Joseph Tate (D) • MN: Melissa Hortman (D) • MS: Philip Gunn (R) • MO: Dean Plocher (R) • MT: Matt Regier (R) • NV: Steve Yeager (D) • NH: Sherman Packard (R) • NJ: Craig Coughlin (D) • NM: Javier I. Martínez (D) • NY: Carl Heastie (D) • NC: Timothy K. Moore (R) • ND: Lawrence Klemin (R) • OH: Jason Stephens (R) • OK: Charles McCall (R) • OR: Dan Rayfield (D) • PA: Joanna McClinton (D) • RI: K. Joseph Shekarchi (D) • SC: G. Murrell Smith Jr. (R) • SD: Hugh Bartels (R) • TN: Cameron Sexton (R) • TX: Dade Phelan (R) • UT: Mike Schultz (Utah) (R) • VT: Jill Krowinski (D) • VA: C. Todd Gilbert (R) • WA: Laurie Jinkins (D) • WV: Roger Hanshaw (R) • WI: Robin Vos (R) • WY: Albert Sommers (R)
v • e
State house majority leaders
SLP badge.png
AL: Scott Stadthagen (R) • AK: Dan Saddler (R) • AZ: Leo Biasiucci (R) • AR: Marcus Richmond (R) • CA: Eloise Gomez Reyes (D) • CO: Monica Duran (D) • CT: Jason Rojas (D) • DE: Melissa Minor-Brown (D) • FL: Michael Grant (Florida) (R) • GA: Chuck Efstration (R) • HI: Nadine Nakamura (D) • ID: Megan C. Blanksma (R) • IL: Robyn Gabel (D) • IN: Matthew Lehman (R) • IA: Matt Windschitl (R) • KS: Chris Croft (R) • KY: Steven Rudy (R) • LA: Blake Miguez (R) • ME: Maureen Terry (D) • MD: Marc Korman (D) • MA: Michael Moran (D) • MI: Abraham Aiyash (D) • MN: Jamie Long (D) • MO: Jon Patterson (R) • MT: Sue Vinton (R) • NV: Sandra Jauregui (D) • NH: Jason Osborne (R) • NJ: Louis Greenwald (D) • NM: Gail Chasey (D) • NY: Crystal Peoples-Stokes (D) • NC: John Bell (North Carolina) (R) • ND: Mike Lefor (R) • OH: Derek Merrin (R) • OK: Jon Echols (R) • OR: Julie Fahey (D) • PA: Matthew Bradford (D) • RI: Christopher Blazejewski (D) • SC: Davey Hiott (R) • SD: Will Mortenson (R) • TN: William Lamberth (R) • UT: TBD • VT: Emily Long (D) • VA: Terry Kilgore (R) • WA: Joe Fitzgibbon (D) • WV: Eric Householder (R) • WI: Tyler August (R) • WY: Chip Neiman (R)


v • e
State legislatures
Legislatures
Alabama (H, S) · Alaska (H, S) · Arizona (H, S) · Arkansas (H, S) · California (A, S) · Colorado (H, S) · Connecticut (H, S) · Delaware (H, S) · Florida (H, S) · Georgia (H, S) · Hawaii (H, S) · Idaho (H, S) · Illinois (H, S) · Indiana (H, S) · Iowa (H, S) · Kansas (H, S) · Kentucky (H, S) · Louisiana (H, S) · Maine (H, S) · Maryland (H, S) · Massachusetts (H, S) · Michigan (H, S) · Minnesota (H, S) · Mississippi (H, S) · Missouri (H, S) · Montana (H, S) · Nebraska · Nevada (A, S) · New Hampshire (H, S) · New Jersey (GA, S) · New Mexico (H, S) · New York (A, S) · North Carolina (H, S) · North Dakota (H, S) · Ohio (H, S) · Oklahoma (H, S) · Oregon (H, S) · Pennsylvania (H, S) · Rhode Island (H, S) · South Carolina (H, S) · South Dakota (H, S) · Tennessee (H, S) · Texas (H, S) · Utah (H, S) · Vermont (H, S) · Virginia (H, S) · Washington (H, S) · West Virginia (H, S) · Wisconsin (A, S) · Wyoming (H, S)
SLP badge.png
2024
2023
Historical elections
2022 •  2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 • 2009 • 2008 • 2007 • 2006 • 2005 • 2004 • 2003 • 2002 • 2001 • 2000
Features of
state legislatures
State senates
State houses
Leadership positions
v • e
Ballotpedia
About
Executive: Leslie Graves, President • Gwen Beattie, Chief Operating Officer • Ken Carbullido, Vice President of Election Product and Technology Strategy • Michelle Robinson, Senior Product Manager, Education & School Boards

Communications: Alison Graves • Carley Allensworth • Abigail Campbell • Sarah Groat • Erica Shumaker • Caitlin Vanden Boom
External Relations: Andrew Heath • Moira Delaney • Hannah Nelson
Operations: Meghann Olshefski • Amanda Herbert • Mandy Morris • Caroline Presnell • Kelly Rindfleisch
Policy: Caitlin Styrsky • Audrey Bayne • Molly Byrne • Jon Dunn • Jimmy McAllister • Annelise Reinwald
Research: Josh Altic
Tech: Matt Latourelle • Ryan Burch • Kirsten Corrao • Beth Dellea • Travis Eden • Tate Kamish • Margaret Kearney • Eric Lotto • Trevor Pollo • Joseph Sanchez

Contributors: Scott Rasmussen
Editorial
Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Leadership_positions_in_state_legislatures&oldid=6647479"