Experience preferred: legislative experience can be a plus for governors - but it is hardly a guarantee of success.

• Author: Jacobson, Louis
• Position: Governors

Stamping a little pig on line-item vetoes for appropriations he felt were wasteful didn't exactly endear Minnesota's then-Governor Jesse Ventura to the Legislature. The former professional wrestler was elected in 1998 with zero legislative experience, and it showed. His lack of understanding of and appreciation for the legislative process handicapped his entire governorship, says Carleton College political scientist Steve Schier.

"He viewed legislators as cowards and ... the Legislature returned the favor by ignoring much of his agenda as his single term wore on," says Schier.

Ventura may be an anomaly, but as legislative sessions start up in most states this month, governors will be there, working with lawmakers to promote their policy goals. Will their legislative experience (or lack of it) matter? Based on interviews with a wide range of political observers, lawmakers and governors, the answer is a qualified "yes." Legislative experience can help, but it is hardly a guarantee of success, nor is a lack of experience necessarily a barrier to gubernatorial achievement.

For Jim Douglas, a former Republican Vermont governor and House majority leader, "Legislative experience was a plus ... lawmakers knew I had some of the same experiences they were having. I was familiar with the protocols and the committee process. I could relate to their problems, and they knew they couldn't snow me, either."

About 50 percent of recent governors from both parties and among all states have previously served in state legislatures. Currently, 21 governors have had experience in the legislature, and many others have previous experience in other statewide elected positions, such as attorney general or secretary of state.

The Skills Advantage

Examples abound of how skills honed in the legislature can make a difference in a governor's ability to lead effectively.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe, a Democrat, is a good example. He served two terms until his retirement in 2014. Hal Bass, an Ouachita Baptist University political scientist, points to Beebe's record on budget negotiations and his ability to work with Republican lawmakers to enact the "private option"--a free-market approach to expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act--as examples of how "state legislative experience was clearly a factor" in Beebe's success.

The governor's legislative skills became particularly important in negotiations with junior lawmakers, who made up much of the...