I think you might be misreading. "State" here means a U.S. state, like Alabama or Ohio, and "state power" means the power of these states relative to the power

I think you might be misreading. "State" here means a U.S. state, like Alabama or Ohio, and "state power" means the power of these states relative to the power of the federal government. Perhaps "states' rights" would be a clearer term, but it has some baggage.