Most Popular Google Autocomplete Search Results for the Nation’s 50 Governors

While most top gubernatorial Google autocomplete search results are mundane, “Nazi,” “racist,” “birth certificate,” and “death panel” define some governors

When Google changed their search term process to include an “autocomplete” algorithm, it may have introduced a time-saving process, but it has perhaps also more firmly entrenched controversial statements made by politicians in the public discourse.

The autocomplete feature offers top search results that might be similar to the one in which a user is interested, and works thusly, from Google’s site:

“As you type, Google’s algorithm predicts and displays search queries based on other users’ search activities. These searches are algorithmically determined based on a number of purely objective factors (including popularity of search terms) without human intervention. All of the predicted queries shown have been typed previously by Google users. The autocomplete dataset is updated frequently to offer fresh and rising search queries. In addition, if you’re signed in to your Google Account and have Web History enabled, you may see search queries from relevant searches that you’ve done in the past.”

A Smart Politics study utilized Google’s autocomplete function in an analysis of what top queries are generated after typing in the full first and last names of each of the nation’s 50 governors.

The top Google autocomplete results for most governors fall into one of approximately a half-dozen categories.

The results for nine governors – mostly newly-elected in 2010 – were related to gubernatorial inaugurations or inaugural addresses: Mike Beebe of Arkansas, John Hickenlooper (Colorado), Terry Branstad (Iowa), Deval Patrick (Massachusetts), Mary Fallin (Oklahoma), Lincoln Chafee (Rhode Island), Bill Haslam (Tennessee), Peter Shumlin (Vermont), and Matt Mead (Wyoming).

Another seven governors generated “State of the State” – an autocomplete query that will probably fall out of the top spot as the calendar gets further removed from the beginning of the year when such addresses were delivered.

Governors whose State of the State address were the first autocomplete result include Jack Markell of Delaware, Butch Otter (Idaho), Rick Snyder (Michigan), Brian Sandoval (Nevada), Chris Christie (New Jersey), Andrew Cuomo (New York), and Nikki Haley (South Carolina).

The top Google autocomplete query for six governors actually yielded substantive policy issues.

Five gubernatorial searches produced “Budget” as the top result – Jerry Brown of California, Rick Scott (Florida), Beverly Perdue (North Carolina), Dennis Daugaard (South Dakota), and Christine Gregoire (Washington) – while Virginia’s Bob McDonnell spawned “transportation.”

McDonnell had released a comprehensive statewide transportation plan on his website during his 2009 campaign.

Five newly-elected governors – all from states that saw a change in partisan control of the governor’s office – yielded top Google autocomplete terms related to “transition” or a “transition team”: Dan Malloy of Connecticut, Sam Brownback (Kansas), Mark Dayton (Minnesota), Susana Martinez (New Mexico), and Tom Corbett (Pennsylvania).

The top results for four additional governors simply yielded “Wiki” – with the top link directing the user to each governor’s respective Wikipedia page: Robert Bentley of Alabama, Martin O’Malley (Maryland), John Lynch (New Hampshire), and Rick Perry (Texas).

(Though “John Lynch” actually returned a Wiki index page as there have been other prominent individuals with the same name (e.g. the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer)).

Other more mundane top autocomplete results include:

· “Bio” for Alaska’s Sean Parnell, Dave Heineman (Nebraska), and John Kasich (Ohio)
· “Governor” for Illinois’ Pat Quinn and West Virginia’s Earl Ray Tomblin
· And Jack Dalrymple and Gary Herbert simply yielded autocomplete terms of the states in which they serve (“North Dakota” and “Utah” respectively).

Autocomplete results for three governors, however, returned very political queries.

Kentucky’s Steve Beshear came back with the phrase, “For Governor.”

The Democratic incumbent will be on the ballot this November as he tries to win a second term in the Republican-leaning state.

As a result, Beshear has a very active campaign website.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels – one of the rumored and buzzworthy 2012 Republican presidential candidates – returned a top autocomplete query of “PAC.”

And, in the it’s-never-too-early department, Montana Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer’s top Google result was “2016.”

Schweitzer gave a rousing speech at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The governor is term-limited and will not be on the Montana gubernatorial ballot in 2012.

The remaining nine governors returned autcomplete results wholly unique to their particular situations (and, for some, controversies).

On the innocuous side, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s first autosuggestion was “book” – in reference to Leadership and Crisis – a book he authored that hit the market in late 2010.

Missouri’s Democratic governor Jay Nixon returned “assassination.” This autocomplete query is in reference to a September 2010 reported attempt on Nixon’s life when a college student slashed the throat of the Dean at Metropolitan Community College – mistaking the dean for Nixon.

Google’s top autocomplete query for Hawaii’s new governor, Democrat Neil Abercrombie, is “birth certificate” – in reference to the continuing birther controversy regarding President Barack Obama.

Reports came out early in Abercrombie’s term in mid-January that suggested he could not find the birth record in the files at the Hawaii Department of Health.

Oregon’s Democratic Governor, John Kitzhaber, produces an autocomplete query of “girlfriend” at the top of his list.

Kitzhaber’s girlfriend, green energy consultant Cylvia Hayes, received attention when she expressed interest in holding political office should Kitzhaber win the 2010 election.

Republican Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin, who has been the most covered governor in the country in 2011, does not have “labor” or “union” as his top autosuggestion, but instead “prank call.”

Walker was duped by a journalist posing as a Republican contributor in a 20-minute conversation two weeks ago – with audio files circulating to numerous websites on the Internet.

The autocomplete results for the remaining four Republican governors are more controversial: Arizona’s Jan Brewer, Maine’s Paul LePage, Georgia’s Nathan Deal, and Missisippi’s Haley Barbour.

Brewer received media coverage a few months ago when it was reported that her decision to cut state health care benefits resulted in the death of a patient at Tuscon University Medical Center who did not receive a liver transplant after being dropped from a waiting list.

As a result Brewer’s top autocomplete query is “death panel.”

Newly-elected Paul LePage of Maine stirred up controversy in January around Martin Luther King Day and, as a result, “NAACP” is his first query result.

LePage told a meeting of business leaders in January that he would not meet with the NAACP because they are a special interest group.

When asked whether his refusal to meet with the group would be seen as a racial issue, he said, “”Tell ’em to kiss my butt. If they want to play the race card, come to dinner and my son will talk to them.”

LePage’s adopted son was born in Jamaica and is black.

First-term Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia has the unfortunate term “Nazi” come up as his first autocomplete query, after an Atlanta (Spanish-language) newspaper published a doctored photo of the Republican that depicted him in a Nazi uniform with a Hitler mustache.

Deal has angered some in the Hispanic community for his anti-illegal immigration policy views.

Google’s autocomplete search function is not helping potential Republican presidential nominee Haley Barbour shed the tag of racism.

Barbour made controversial comments in late 2010 about his childhood recollections of the segregationist Citizens’ Council of America, stating “I just don’t remember it as being that bad.”

As a result of this gaffe, “racism” is currently the first autocomplete suggestion after typing in Haley Barbour’s name.

Of course, Google autocomplete and search results are fluid and subject to change as real world events and new controversies spark interest on the Internet.

Top Google Autocomplete Results for the Nation’s 50 Governors

State	Governor	Party	Suggestion
Alabama	Robert Bentley	GOP	Wiki
Alaska	Sean Parnell	GOP	Bio
Arizona	Jan Brewer	GOP	Death Panel
Arkansas	Mike Beebe	Dem	Inauguration
California	Jerry Brown	Dem	Budget
Colorado	John Hickenlooper	Dem	Inauguration
Connecticut	Dan Malloy	Dem	Transition
Delaware	Jack Markell	Dem	State of the State
Florida	Rick Scott	GOP	Budget
Georgia	Nathan Deal	GOP	Nazi
Hawaii	Neil Abercrombie	Dem	Birth certificate
Idaho	Butch Otter	GOP	State of the State
Illinois	Pat Quinn	Dem	Governor
Indiana	Mitch Daniels	GOP	PAC
Iowa	Terry Branstad	GOP	Inauguration
Kansas	Sam Brownback	GOP	Transition
Kentucky	Steve Beshear	Dem	For governor
Louisiana	Bobby Jindal	GOP	Book
Maine	Paul LePage	GOP	NAACP
Maryland	Martin O’Malley	Dem	Wiki
Massachusetts	Deval Patrick	Dem	Inauguration
Michigan	Rick Snyder	GOP	State of the State
Minnesota	Mark Dayton	DFL	Transition
Mississippi	Haley Barbour	GOP	Racist
Missouri	Jay Nixon	Dem	Assassination
Montana	Brian Schweitzer	Dem	2016
Nebraska	Dave Heineman	GOP	Bio
Nevada	Brian Sandoval	GOP	State of the State
New Hampshire	John Lynch	Dem	Wiki
New Jersey	Chris Christie	GOP	State of the State
New Mexico	Susana Martinez	GOP	Transition
New York	Andrew Cuomo	Dem	State of the State
North Carolina	Beverly Perdue	Dem	Budget
North Dakota	Jack Dalrymple	GOP	North Dakota
Ohio	John Kasich	GOP	Bio
Oklahoma	Mary Fallin	GOP	Inaugural
Oregon	John Kitzhaber	Dem	Girlfriend
Pennsylvania	Tom Corbett	GOP	Transition team
Rhode Island	Lincoln Chafee	Ind.	Inauguration
South Carolina	Nikki Haley	GOP	State of the State
South Dakota	Dennis Daugaard	GOP	Budget
Tennessee	Bill Haslam	GOP	Inauguration
Texas	Rick Perry	GOP	Wiki
Utah	Gary Herbert	GOP	Utah
Vermont	Peter Shumlin	Dem	Inauguration
Virginia	Bob McDonnell	GOP	Transportation
Washington	Christine Gregoire	Dem	Budget
West Virginia	Earl Ray Tomblin	Dem	Governor
Wisconsin	Scott Walker	GOP	Prank call
Wyoming	Matt Mead	GOP	Inauguration

Table compiled by Smart Politics.

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