Nationally, governors issued 26 executive orders from May 1-7. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) led the field with 16, followed by Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) with three. Governors in 41 states issued the fewest orders with zero.
Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. Last week’s executive orders account for 5% of the year-to-date total of 568. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) leads with 160 orders issued since Jan. 1, followed by DeSantis with 102 and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) with 57.
Georgia and Florida lead in the number of executive orders issued for two reasons: unlike most states, in Georgia, the governor uses executive orders to appoint and reappoint members of state boards and judges. In Florida, also unlike most states, the governor uses executive orders for state attorney executive assignments.
Governors in 16 states have issued fewer than five orders since the start of the year, and those in 11 states have yet to issue any orders. In states with a Republican trifecta, governors issued 363 orders, while governors in states with a Democratic trifecta issued 147. A trifecta is when one political party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. In states where neither party holds trifecta control, governors issued 58 orders.
