Determining Relevance How can a governor's message power affect legislation in a State? The message power—the governor's power to recommend legislation—can affect legislation in two ways. A governor can use the political weight associated with the office, along with his personal and political influence, to try and control matters of legislation. The most effective governors push their programs through by using the formal message power. A number of other informal tactics, including appeals to the voting public and close, personal contacts with chief legislators are commonly used as well.