One-party control doesn't always eliminate political turmoil.

• Author: Linsky, Martin
• Position: LINSKY ON LEADERSHIP - Column

Sometimes, even being among friends--or at least political allies--is not enough.

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Consider the legislative leaders in the 33 states where one party controls both chambers of the legislature and the governor's office. You might assume things would run smoothly, with everyone pulling in the same direction. That's true in some states, not so much in others.

What appears to make the difference is experience--political experience. In 20 of the 33 states, the governor is a first-term chief executive. Of those, only 10 had state legislative experience before becoming governor. Of those, only six had been committee chairs or on the leadership ladder. Of the other 10 first-termers, two had been in Congress, two had been elected to statewide office, and three had been mayors. Three of the 10 had never before run for office.

Most of the 33 states with undivided control have a significant majority. Only in Arkansas are both the Senate and the House closely divided.

Each of these variables--tenure of the governor, the governor's experience in elected office, and how closely the chambers are divided--affects the nature of the challenges faced by legislative leaders.

Several leaders in those positions have shared with me--anonymously, of course--some of the unanticipated bumps in the road they have faced. Here are some of them.

* Newly elected governors, and particularly those from outside the political process--think Florida's Rick Scott--tend to come into office thinking they have a "mandate." They often expect fellow party members in the legislature to fall into line behind whatever they propose.

* Members of the majority caucus often expect special treatment from the governor's office and the executive branch. They assume their legislative leaders have such open access and solid relationships with the governor and staff that they will willingly and successfully put their issues on the front burner.

* Governors and their staff expect legislative leaders to crack the whip if there is resistance in the caucus and deliver majorities for whatever legislation the governor considers a priority.

* In those states where there are huge legislative majorities--Florida, Georgia and Kansas, for example--divisions in the caucuses tend to emerge more visibly and publicly because individual members know their vote is not necessary to secure passage of any particular bill.

* In states where the legislative majorities are razor-thin--the Senate...