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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Do many US state governors have medical degrees?
Tuesday, April 27, 2021
By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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NO
One U.S. state governor, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, has a medical degree.
Far more common are law degrees, on the resumes of 17 governors, including 11 Democrats and six Republicans, according to a count in February 2021 by Ballotpedia.
Ballotpedia relies on official biographies for its data, which in two states don’t include the college experiences of their leaders. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J., and has been a major donor to his alma mater.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson doesn’t disclose his education on the state’s website. He attended the University of Hawaii and the University of Maryland, but did not graduate from a four-year college.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Stevens Institute of Technology President’s leadership award for Greg R. Gianforte ’83
Vote Smart Mike Parson’s biography
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Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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