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State government triplexes: Conflicts between governors and secretaries of state
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| Party Control of State Government |
|---|
 |
| Trifectas |
| A trifecta is when one political party holds the governorship, a majority in the state senate, and a majority in the state house in a state's government. |
Current trifecta status Party control of state government Historical and potential changes in trifectas |
| Triplexes |
| A triplex is when one political party holds the positions of governor, attorney general, and secretary of state in a state's government. |
Current triplex status Conflict between governors and AGs Conflict between governors and SoS |
| Analysis |
| Trifecta vulnerability in the 2024 elections Trifectas and triplexes Trifectas and legislatively referred constitutional amendments Who Runs the States report |
A state government triplex is a term to describe when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.[1] In states where the attorney general or secretary of state are appointed by the governor, Ballotpedia considers the office to be held by the governor's party for the purposes of defining triplexes.[2] In states where these officers are not all from the same party, differing political views can bring them into direct conflict with one another. According to Christopher Beam of Slate, disputes between governors and attorneys general are fairly common and usually occur along partisan lines. Based on Ballotpedia's analysis, similar disputes are likely to arise between a governor and secretary of state who belong to opposing parties. Having all three executives of the same political party, then, can lessen these conflicts.[3]
There are triplexes in 44 of the 50 states.
- 24
Republican - 20
Democratic
As of January 2023, there were six states where the governor and attorney general were of different parties and six states where the governor and secretary of state were of different parties. To see examples of conflicts between governors and attorneys general, click here. To see examples of conflicts between governors and secretaries of state, click here.
States where parties differ
Conflict
In states where the governor and secretary of state are from different political parties, conflict can occur. In this section Ballotpedia tracks examples of executive conflict by the year the conflict began.
2015
Wisconsin
Secretary of State Douglas La Follette (D) sues Governor Scott Walker (R) for signing budget that decreases budget and staff for his office
In July 2015, Wisconsin Secretary of State Douglas La Follette (D) sued Governor Scott Walker (R) for signing a budget that La Follette claimed imperiled the constitutional duties of the secretary of state.
The budget signed by Walker decreased the budget allocation to the secretary of state's office, transferred some of the office's duties to the Department of Administration, cut La Follette's staff from three aides and one temporary worker to one aide and one temporary worker, and moved the office to a smaller space in the basement of the state Capitol. In his lawsuit, La Follette claimed that the budget violated the Wisconsin Constitution, as it would prevent him from carrying out his duty to "keep a fair record of the official acts of the legislative and executive department of the state."[4] La Follette asked Judge Rhonda L. Lanford of the Dane County Circuit Court to issue an injunction against the budget cuts.
Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel (R) represented Walker in responding to the complaint.[5] Walker argued that the budget was designed to save the state money and that the budget cuts were justified because, unlike other states, Wisconsin gives the secretary of state few responsibilities besides maintaining records. In other states, the secretary of state is responsible for running elections or issuing driver's licenses.[6]
On September 4, 2015, Judge Lanford declined to issue a temporary injunction against Walker's budget, ruling that, at that time, La Follette had not shown his claim was likely to succeed. She did not dismiss his claim that Walker's budget infringed on his ability to carry out the duties of his office.
La Follette unsuccessfully ran to replace Walker as governor in a 2012 recall election. He was defeated in the Democratic primary.
Wisconsin's secretary of state is elected statewide. La Follette was first elected to the position in 1983 and, as of 2017, he had been reelected seven times. Walker was first elected governor in 2010. In addition to the unsuccessful 2012 recall election against him, he was reelected in 2014.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia chose to highlight these offices because they are typically the most visible positions in states and serve important administrative functions.
- ↑ This is because it is very uncommon for an attorney general or secretary of state appointed by a governor to often be in direct conflict with that governor.
- ↑ Slate, "Who's the Boss?" April 2, 2010
- ↑ Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, "Doug La Follette sues Scott Walker over state budget measures," July 14, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedMWSJ - ↑ Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, "Facing cuts and move, La Follette tries to get some respect," February 17, 2015
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