WASHINGTON—The governors of Texas, Georgia, and South Dakota rank highest in the nation based on economic policy performance and management of the COVID-19 health crisis, according to a new study. A scorecard by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a conservative, nonprofit organization, evaluated the 50 governors using various performance indicators, including tax and spending policy, use of federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, education spending, welfare policy, and labor regulations. Greg Abbott of Texas topped the list “due to his commitment to fiscal conservatism and free market policies,” the report by ALEC stated. Brian Kemp of Georgia and Kristi Noem of South Dakota ranked second and third, respectively. All three are Republican. To judge overall performance, the governors were assigned a grade of 1 to 5 stars, with top performers getting 4 or 5 stars and the worst receiving 1 or 2. The …