I have commented over 1300 times, but this is my first attempt at a diary. I thought I would for my first time out try something informational and uncontroversial, but hopefully not too boring either.
The US Constitution charges Congress with guaranteeing that every state in the union have a republican form of government. In 1787, that specifically meant elected rather than hereditary officers. Various parts of the Constitution assume that there will be an executive, a legislature, and judges, but beyond that no standards are promulgated for how to set up a state government.
What is interesting to me is the different executive officers the different states elect and that is the topic of the present diary. I was inspired in part by previous diaries analyzing races for Lt. Governors, Secretaries of State, Attorneys General, and Treasurers, which are common, but by no means universal. I will not be analyzing races or even naming names. For the candidates' names you can check Politics1. What follows is simply a list of statewide elected offices on order of succession to the Governorship, often only technically Acting Governor until the next election, if known or applicable. Also note, that some states have these offices, but as appointed rather than elected positions; I only included them here if they are elected. I also did not include members of multi-member bodies. Feel free to comment on your favorite race, especially for one of the less common offices, or provide additional relevant information if you feel I missed something.
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