Republicans desperately push to limit governors’ powers after ‘blue wave’

Republicans in two states about to get Democratic governors are working to weaken the office before the new occupants arrive, according to MS NOW opinion blogger Ja'han Jones. In Texas, state Rep. Brian Harrison urged GOP legislators to remove the governor's emergency powers before Gina Hinojosa succeeds Greg Abbott, warning that she would otherwise hold dictator-like authority. Outgoing Rep. Chip Roy backed the idea, as did other conservative figures. Whether it will succeed is unknown.

Georgia's version of the push seems to have stalled. On Wednesday, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp turned down demands for a special legislative session that would have reduced the powers of Governor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms and redrawn the state's congressional districts. Kemp said Georgia voters had made their decision.

Jones argues that the tactic has precedent. He notes that Republicans in North Carolina pursued similar limits in 2016 and 2024, Wisconsin Republicans did so after losing the 2018 governor's race, and Michigan Republicans moved to restrict powers after their candidate lost to Gretchen Whitmer that same year. Jones contends the pattern shows the party selectively overriding the choices of voters when it loses.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →