Advocates against capital punishment will not find an ally in Rick Perry anytime soon.

The Washington Post has reported that the Texas governor holds the record for most executions ever for a governor, and by a large margin. Perry has presided over 234 executions, increasing Texas’ reputation by far as the #1 state in executing people.

George W.Bush reportedly presided over a higher rate of executions than Perry in his five years as governor before becoming President, while Democratic governor Ann Richards had 50 executions in her one term. Thanks to its size and lack of appeals from lower courts, the overall structure of support for the death penalty is a constant in Texas, no matter who is governor.

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However, Perry has been even more aggressive in pushing for capital punishment than his predecessors.

The Republican candidate for president vetoed a bill that would have exonerated the mentally retarded and juveniles from the death penalty. Perry also fought with the Bush Administration on the case of 51 Mexicans placed on death row, and battled with the Obama cabinet and Mexican officials over the status of Humberto Leal Jr., before Perry signed off on his execution in early July.