by Pamela M. Prah, Stateline.org Staff Writer

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick doesn’t have the Hollywood celebrity of California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger or the high profile of New York’s Eliot Spitzer, but the newly elected Democrat bested both better-known colleagues in a yet-to-be-published ranking of governors’ powers.

Patrick also edged out his peers in Alaska, Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia in the latest power rankings of state chief executives by University of North Carolina political science professor Thad L. Beyle.

Schwarzenegger (R), a former bodybuilder and actor, and Spitzer (D), who made a name prosecuting unethical business practices on Wall Street, had larger-than-life reputations even before they landed in the governor’s mansion, giving them political influence from the get-go. But other governors are helped — or hurt — by their own state constitutions and laws that influence how much power they wield.

In figuring out which governors have the most clout, Beyle, who has ranked the governors since the 1980s, looks at tenure, budget authority, appointment and veto powers and whether the governor’s party controls the legislature

See the full rankings and read the report at stateline.org.