Stateline: Rick Snyder had never held or even sought any public office when he was elected governor of Michigan in 2010. As a venture capitalist and former Gateway computer executive, Snyder campaigned as a “tough nerd” who would offer pragmatic, apolitical leadership.

During his first year in office, Snyder surprised many Lansing insiders by proposing an aggressive agenda and then seeing nearly all of his priorities through to enactment. The state overhauled its tax system and established a corps of state-appointed emergency financial managers with broad powers to intervene in the affairs of financially distressed localities. He adopted a non-confrontational personal style that gave him a reputation as one of the most moderate of the new Republican governors of 2011.

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