# Best & Worst Run States - Dem & Rep? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 9, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622 "2010-10-09T18:22:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/1 "2010-10-09T18:22:38Z")
WSJ did a piece on the [best and worst run states](http://247wallst.com/2010/10/04/the-best-and-worst-run-states-in-america-a-survey-of-all-fifty/). My dad is fond of reminding me that California is not doing well and the Democrats control the legislature. Texas is doing fine, where the Republicans are in charge. Therefore, Democrats are bad and Republicans are good. I remind him that Mississippi and Alabama are not great states. My dad respects WSJ. Here’s their list of best and worst run states. 1. WY 2. ND 3. IA 4. VT 5. MN 6. UT 7. VA 8. NH 9. MD 10. HI 11. DE 12. NE 13. SD 14. AK 15. WA 16. KS 17. ME 18. WI 19. MA 20. CT 21. NJ 22. PA 23. NC 24. MO 25. CO 26. NY 27. OR 28. ID 29. IN 30. MT 31. OH 32. OK 33. GA 34. RI 35. TN 36. TX 37. NM 38. WV 39. AL 40. AR 41. NV 42. FL 43. IL 44. MS 45. SC 46. LA 47. MI 48. AR 49. CA 50. KY If anyone can tell me which party controls the legislature of each state, I can tell my dad that pointing to any one state as proof of which political party is better is B.S. Any other comments on this issue, article, state rankings, etc., is welcome. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/2 "2010-10-09T18:27:17Z")
Politics aside, two _structural_ trends: 1. The more populous the state is, the worse it is governed. Big entities move slowly and big states have problems imposing one-size-fits-all government. 2. There is a negative correlation between ethnic diversity and quality of governance. The top ten states are both low-population and white (with the exception of Hawaii) ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/3 "2010-10-09T18:37:26Z")
You’ve got AR in the list twice. Was one of them supposed to be AZ? AZ has got to be one of the worst. A high tax state with a moron for a governor. A legislature full of far right Mormon Republicans who are more obsessed with Mexican drug cartels attacking the Sun City shuffleboard club than the problem of a state with high unemployment, declining property values, and a low skilled, poorly educated workforce. At least they’ll spend plenty of time examining Barack Obama’s birth certificate. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/4 "2010-10-09T18:40:44Z")
1. Az ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/5 "2010-10-09T18:42:29Z")
Illinois has a Democrat governor and a Democrat-controlled house and senate. As far as I know, every major elected office (Comptroller, Treasurer, Attorney General, etc.) is held by a Democrat. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/6 "2010-10-09T19:10:07Z")
> [@athelas](#): > > Politics aside, two _structural_ trends: > > 1. The more populous the state is, the worse it is governed. Big entities move slowly and big states have problems imposing one-size-fits-all government. > > 2. There is a negative correlation between ethnic diversity and quality of governance. > > The top ten states are both low-population and white (with the exception of Hawaii) I think those are the biggest issues. The more population, and the wider the disparity in interest groups, the harder it is to govern. ---
**Author:** ![athelas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@athelas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/athelas)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/7 "2010-10-09T19:42:45Z")
It’s notable that a similar trend shows up in “Bestest Country Ever” rankings too. The perennial winners: Hong Kong, Nordic countries, Singapore, and Switzerland. All are smaller than the US, and Switzerland is in addition highly federal; the cantons have all the real power. Among functioning nations, centralized power over large populations appears to robustly predict worse outcomes. Winners are either small or highly federal - either way, “more-local government” dominates. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/8 "2010-10-09T20:30:00Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > You’ve got AR in the list twice. Was one of them supposed to be AZ? > > AZ has got to be one of the worst. A **high tax state** with a moron for a governor. :eek: It certainly doesn’t _look_ like a high tax state. Of course it’s possible that everything runs smoothly behind the scenes, but from outward appearances, I’d have little trouble believing you on that if Arizonans get so little from their tax dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/9 "2010-10-09T20:54:51Z")
Iowa, number three on your list (and number one in your hearts! Okay, maybe more like number 34 …) has a Democratic governor and Democrats control both houses of the legislature. For now. The zombie Republican Terry Branstad, former governor of the state in the 80s, has returned to run again, and has a double-digit lead on incumbent Chet Culver in the polls. I don’t know about the odds for the statehouse, but it’s probably about the same as across the nation (i.e., not good for Democrats). I’d say Iowa is decently run, but a third-place ranking seems high to me. One thing in its favor is the state constitution requires a balanced budget, which leads to a current bone of contention between Culver and Branstad. Earlier this year, when the budget situation was truly dire, Culver made a 10-percent across-the-board cut in all state spending. Caused a lot of hardships in human services and education, especially, but he didn’t have many other options. Branstad is killing him for that, as he trots out _ **his** _ plan to cut state spending by an additional 15 percent over five years. Just not “across the board.” I guess he’ll be making the _ **tough** _ choices. Branstad also claims he personally created 300,000 jobs when he was governor before. By waving his magic gubernatorial job-creating wand, I guess. Well, as far as state government goes, Iowa is pretty good. The tax burden is tilted somewhat towards property taxes, which causes a lot of complaints … but the income tax isn’t too bad (again, you hear complaints about it all the time because the tax rates look high, but Iowa allows you to deduct your federal tax, which makes the effective rate much lower … politicians love to complain about that, especially Republicans who seem to think business owners can’t actually figure that out for themselves, so the state needs to end deductibility and slash state tax rates … but I digress again). Once again, to answer your original question … Democrats in control in Iowa, third-ranked state by the Wall Street Journal. Tell your Dad to put _ **that** _ in his pipe and smoke it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/10 "2010-10-09T20:57:33Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Illinois has a Democrat governor and a Democrat-controlled house and senate. As far as I know, every major elected office (Comptroller, Treasurer, Attorney General, etc.) is held by a Democrat. However felonious ex-governors in recent times are tied at one apiece. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/11 "2010-10-09T22:19:48Z")
> [@kidchameleon](#): > > > [@HeyHomie](#): > > > > Illinois has a Democrat governor and a Democrat-controlled house and senate. As far as I know, every major elected office (Comptroller, Treasurer, Attorney General, etc.) is held by a Democrat. > > However felonious ex-governors in recent times are tied at one apiece. And of the seven men who have been governor of Illinois in my lifetime, three have served time in prison. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/12 "2010-10-09T22:30:11Z")
^Disregard that. Two have served time in prison; one will be there soon. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2010, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/13 "2010-10-09T22:41:34Z")
> [@athelas](#): > > Politics aside, two _structural_ trends: > > 1. The more populous the state is, the worse it is governed. Big entities move slowly and big states have problems imposing one-size-fits-all government. > > 2. There is a negative correlation between ethnic diversity and quality of governance. > > The top ten states are both low-population and white (with the exception of Hawaii) I agree with that. I don’t want to turn this into anti-diversity argument but I know Vermont and New Hampshire well. A bunch of relatively well-off white people with lots of space at their disposal aren’t that hard to manage even when you do throw some hicks into the mix. I haven’t been to some of the other top states but it is sounds the same. Other than the cold than the cold, most of the top states are idyllic for a white person with any skills whatsoever and maybe even for individuals from other groups if that’s what they want. Virginia and Maryland are really the only states at the top of the list that deserve an award for being that high because they could have potential problems if things weren’t managed well. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/14 "2010-10-10T00:40:25Z")
Lemme get this straight. We got a state senate that flipped out and went completely out of control last year, here in NY, not to mention the whole governor accepting bribes and interfering with police prosecutions thing, and we’re still better than _half_ of the other states? oh god we’re all fucked. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/15 "2010-10-10T04:11:46Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Lemme get this straight. We got a state senate that flipped out and went completely out of control last year, here in NY, not to mention the whole governor accepting bribes and interfering with police prosecutions thing, and we’re still better than _half_ of the other states? That’s because the bottom half is the South with Michigan, Nevada and California thrown into the mix to keep it interesting. ETA: Note to OP’s Dad, the South is notoriously red. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/16 "2010-10-10T04:39:28Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > You’ve got AR in the list twice. Was one of them supposed to be AZ? > > AZ has got to be one of the worst. A high tax state with a moron for a governor. A legislature full of far right Mormon Republicans who are more obsessed with Mexican drug cartels attacking the Sun City shuffleboard club than the problem of a state with high unemployment, declining property values, and a low skilled, poorly educated workforce. At least they’ll spend plenty of time examining Barack Obama’s birth certificate. I was wondering how he got to 50 without AZ. But, yeah, we’re a mess. I moved here right on the front end of the real estate boom (by coincidence) and thus got the impression that Arizona was way more awesome than it actually is. The last couple years have sure set me straight. I will say, though, in defense of the Grand Canyon State: while we’re fiscally wacky, and we’ve got a Mexican-hatin’ problem, we still don’t hold a candle to the south in terms of social conservatism. At least we have that going for us. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/17 "2010-10-10T06:56:14Z")
New York is only 26th? Our state government is about as dysfunctional as you can get. It’s not a matter of having a bad governor or having the wrong party in the legislature - our problems are institutional and bipartisan. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/18 "2010-10-10T14:17:04Z")
> [@Uncle\_Jocko](#): > > Iowa, number three on your list (and number one in your hearts! Okay, maybe more like number 34 ..) has a Democratic governor and Democrats control both houses of the legislature. For now. > > The zombie Republican Terry Branstad, former governor of the state in the 80s, has returned to run again, and has a double-digit lead on incumbent Chet Culver in the polls. I don’t know about the odds for the statehouse, but it’s probably about the same as across the nation (i.e., not good for Democrats). > > I’d say Iowa is decently run, but a third-place ranking seems high to me. One thing in its favor is the state constitution requires a balanced budget, which leads to a current bone of contention between Culver and Branstad. Earlier this year, when the budget situation was truly dire, Culver made a 10-percent across-the-board cut in all state spending. Caused a lot of hardships in human services and education, especially, but he didn’t have many other options. Branstad is killing him for that, as he trots out _ **his** _ plan to cut state spending by an additional 15 percent over five years. Just not “across the board.” I guess he’ll be making the _ **tough** _ choices. Branstad also claims **he personally created 300,000 jobs when he was governor** before. By waving his magic gubernatorial job-creating wand, I guess. Bolding mine. Branstad may have personally created that many jobs, but they came as part of the legal teams needed to defend his kids criminal actions and teams of accountants to keep two versions of the state’s financial books. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/19 "2010-10-10T15:39:19Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > New York is only 26th? Our state government is about as dysfunctional as you can get. It’s not a matter of having a bad governor or having the wrong party in the legislature - our problems are institutional and bipartisan. Oh god, yes. I was just picking the most obvious highlights. And we’re still better than half the US? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622/20 "2010-10-10T15:44:36Z")
Here’s the full breakdown: 1. Wyoming - Democratic governor, Republican legislature 2. North Dakota - Republican governor, Republican legislature 3. Iowa - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 4. Vermont - Republican governor, Democratic legislature 5. Minnesota - Republican governor, Democratic legislature 6. Utah - Republican governor, Republican legislature 7. Virginia - Republican governor, Democratic upper house, Republican lower house 8. New Hampshire - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 9. Maryland - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 10. Hawaii - Republican governor, Democratic legislature 11. Delaware - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 12. Nebraska - Republican governor, nonpartisan unicameral legislature\* 13. South Dakota - Republican governor, Republican legislature 14. Alaska - Republican governor, Republican lower house, “coalition” upper house\*\* 15. Washington - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 16. Kansas - Democratic governor, Republican legislature 17. Maine - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 18. Wisconsin - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 19. Massachusetts - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 20. Connecticutt - Republican governor, Democratic legislature 21. New Jersey - Republican governor, Democratic legislature 22. Pennsylvania - Democratic governor, Republican upper house, Democratic lower house 23. North Carolina - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 24. Missouri - Republican governor, Republican legislature 25. Colorado - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 26. New York - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 27. Oregon - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 28. Idaho - Republican governor, Republican legislature 29. Indiana - Republican governor, Republican upper house, Democratic lower house 30. Montana - Democratic governor, Republican upper house, Democratic lower house 31. Ohio - Democratic governor, Republican upper house, Democratic lower house 32. Oklahoma - Democratic governor, Republican legislature 33. Georgia - Republican governor, Republican legislature 34. Rhode Island - Republican governor, Democratic legislature 35. Tennessee - Democratic governor, Republican legislature 36. Texas - Republican governor, Republican legislature 37. New Mexico - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 38. West Virginia - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 39. Alabama - Republican governor, Democratic legislature 40. Arkansas - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 41. Nevada - Republican governor, Democratic legislature 42. Florida - Republican governor, Republican legislature 43. Illinois - Democratic governor, Democratic legislature 44. Mississippi - Republican governor, Democratic legislature 45. South Carolina - Republican governor, Republican legislature 46. Louisiana - Republican governor, Democratic legislature 47. Michigan - Democratic governor, Republican upper house, Democratic lower house 48. Arizona - Democratic governor, Republican legislature 49. California - Republican governor, Democratic legislature 50. Kentucky - Democratic governor, Republican upper house, Democratic lower house - Candidates running for Nebraska’s legislature do not run on party affiliations. Unofficially, the majority are Republicans \*\* Alaska’s Senate is controlled by a group of Democrats and Republicans that vote together [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-worst-run-states-dem-rep/556622.md?page=2)