State governors issued 49 executive orders from June 5-18. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) led the field with 15, followed by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) with seven. Governors in 33 states issued the fewest orders with zero.
Governors use executive orders to manage executive branch operations. The last two weeks’ executive orders account for 6% of the year-to-date total of 754. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) leads with 213 orders issued since Jan. 1, followed by DeSantis with 132 and New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) with 80.
Governors have issued an average of 31 executive orders per week so far this year, compared to 30 per week in 2022.
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 seven states have yet to issue any orders so far. In states with a Republican trifecta, governors issued 470 orders, while governors in states with a Democratic trifecta issued 206. 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 78 orders.
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