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The United States Senate and the lower chamber of Congress, the United States House of Representatives, comprise the federal bicameral legislature of the United States. Together, the Senate and the House maintain authority under Article One of the U.S. Constitution to pass or defeat federal legislation. The Senate has exclusive power to confirm ...
- 6 years
- November 8, 2022 (35 seats)
- 100
- Overview
- Governors v Senators: How are they different?
- What Governors Do
- What Senators Do
- Term Length and Limits
Understanding the roles of governors and senators in the US government
Governors vs. Senators: How are they different?
Studying for a civics test? Or just curious about the difference between senators and governors? Lots of Americans are in the same boat. Though they’re both state-wide positions, governors and U.S. Senators occupy very different roles in American government. We’ve put together a simple breakdown of the differences between governors and senators, plus a few bonus details for those of you who want to dive deeper. Keep reading to become a more informed citizen—or ace that test.
A governor is the leader of a state government’s executive branch, while a U.S. senator represents their state in the upper legislative house of the U.S. federal government.
Governors play a similar role to that of the President of the United States, but their authority is limited to within their state.
A Senator’s main job is to write and pass laws that apply to the entire country, while ensuring that those laws benefit the people of their state.
A governor is the leader of a state government’s executive branch.
Their role is similar to that of President of the United States, but their authority is limited to within their state. They are directly responsible for managing their state’s affairs, and while they can’t write laws, they can sign bills into law that have been passed by their state’s legislature. A governor’s exact powers are established by their state’s constitution.
The U.S. has 50 governors—one for each state.
Though some governors become major figures in national politics, they have no formal governing role outside of their state.
A senator represents a state in the legislative branch of the federal government.
Their main responsibility is to speak for the citizens of their state and advocate for their needs on the national level. Unlike governors, senators are not leaders of a state. Instead, they vote as a group to pass laws that apply to the entire country. The powers of the U.S. Senate are established by Article One of the United States Constitution.
Governors have direct control over many aspects of their state’s government.
While their specific powers depend on the state, most governors can appoint state officials, issue executive orders, approve budgets, and deploy their state’s national guard. They can even pardon someone who has committed a crime under their state’s laws, or commute that person’s sentence so that no jail time is served.
In some cases, governors are responsible for appointing state judges. This gives them direct influence over the judicial branch of their state’s government.
Governors can also appoint someone to temporarily fill an empty U.S. Senate seat. This sometimes happens when a U.S. Senator leaves office before an election occurs, such as when a senator resigns, passes away, or obtains another position in government.
Governors can make many decisions unilaterally.
This means they technically don’t need anyone’s approval—though they have still have to worry about public backlash and angering other government officials. For example, governors may issue evacuation orders in anticipation of natural disasters, like hurricanes and wildfires. These orders are then enforced by lower-level officials, including state attorneys general, mayors, state police, and local law enforcement.
Senators are members of the Senate, the upper house of the U.S. federal legislature.
They serve alongside Members of Congress, who are part of the lower house known as the House of Representatives. Along with drafting and voting on legislation, senators can appoint federal officials, confirm judges and justices to the U.S. federal courts, and even vote to declare war on other countries.
The Senate also has the unique power to remove federal officials from office via the impeachment process, which is initiated by the House of Representatives. Removal from office requires a two-thirds majority vote. Unlike governors, senators can only make decisions by a majority vote.
Some senators have specific jobs within the Senate.
Governors are elected to 4-year or 2-year terms.
The exact term length depends on the state. Some states also have term limits, meaning that a governor can only serve a maximum of one or two terms. Governors are directly elected by voters in their state.
Some states don’t allow more than two consecutive terms, but permit candidates to run again after a certain number of years out of office.
Some states have no term limits at all, allowing governors to serve as long as voters allow.
Most governors run for office as members of a major political party. Parties select their candidates via primary elections, and voters then choose between those candidates in a general election.
Many governors become prominent in national politics. A few have been elected President of the United States.
People also ask
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Mar 10, 2024 · Instead, the Constitution allows for the Senate to choose a president pro tempore—usually the most senior senator of the majority party—who presides over the Senate. Despite the title, the job is largely a formal and powerless role. The real power in the Senate is in the hands of the majority leader and the minority leader.
The presiding officer of the United States Senate is the person who presides over the United States Senate and is charged with maintaining order and decorum, recognizing members to speak, and interpreting the Senate's rules, practices, and precedents. Senate presiding officer is a role, not an actual office. The actual role is usually performed ...
PortraitNameTermNovember 19, 2021 – presentPresident of the SenateNovember 19, 2021 [g]President pro temporeJanuary 20, 2021 – November 19, 2021President of the SenateJanuary 16, 2020 – February 5, 2020Chief Justice ( First impeachment trial ...Oct 17, 2023 · Jimmy Carter served as Senator and governor of Georgia before becoming the 39th U.S. president. A governor is a chief executive of a state. Each state elects its own governor, and the governor heads the state just as the president heads the whole country. Each governor is directly elected by the citizens of each state.
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Feb 9, 2021 · Those senators are not expected to run for other offices, but there is some talk that a few ex- or sitting U.S. Senators may run for governor next November. For example, there is speculation that former GOP New Hampshire U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte will run to succeed Governor Chris Sununu if he chooses not to seek a fourth term.
The following is the planned order of succession for the governorships of the 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and the five organized territories of the United States, according to the constitutions (and supplemental laws, if any) of each. [1] Some states make a distinction whether the succeeding individual is acting as governor or becomes ...
