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List of current United States lieutenant governors

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Party affiliation of current United States lieutenant governors:
  Democratic
  Republican
  Independent
  Progressive
  Position nonexistent
Party affiliation of current designated successors to the current United States governors:
  Democratic designated successor
  Republican designated successor
  Independent designated successor
  Progressive designated successor
  New Progressive designated successor
Method for electing the lieutenant governor.
  Same ticket
  Same ticket in the general election, separate election in the primaries
  Separate election
  Title given to the leader of state senate
  Position nonexistent

The lieutenant governor is the second-highest-ranking government official in 45 of the 50 U.S. states and four of the five territories. In those states and territories, it is the first in the line of succession in case of a vacancy in the office of governor (note: in Massachusetts and West Virginia, the lieutenant governor only assumes powers & duties as acting governor, not succeeding to the governorship), while in the remaining states and territories another office holds that status. Currently, 26 states elect a lieutenant governor on a ticket with the governor, while 17 states elect a lieutenant governor separately. In West Virginia, the president of the Senate, as elected by the State Senators, serves as the state's lieutenant governor. In Tennessee, the State Senators elect a Speaker of the Senate, who in turn serves as lieutenant governor. Four states and one inhabited territory do not have a lieutenant governor.

List of lieutenant governors by state

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In the table below, "term ends" indicates the year the current lieutenant governor will leave office; a notation (term limits) after the year indicates that the current lieutenant governor is ineligible to seek re-election in that year. A notation of (retiring) after the year indicates that the current lieutenant governor is leaving office that year, having not sought re-election. A notation of (defeated) indicates that the current lieutenant governor was defeated for re-election.

State Image Lieutenant governor Party Prior public experience Start of term End of term Chosen by[1]
Alabama (list) Will Ainsworth Republican Alabama House January 14, 2019 2027 Separate election
Alaska (list) Nancy Dahlstrom Republican Commissioner of Alaska Department of Corrections
Alaska House
December 5, 2022 2026 Same ticket
Arkansas (list) Leslie Rutledge Republican Attorney General January 10, 2023 2027 Separate election
California (list) Eleni Kounalakis Democratic United States Ambassador to Hungary January 7, 2019 2027 (term limits) Separate election
Colorado (list) Dianne Primavera Democratic Colorado House January 8, 2019 2027 Same ticket
Connecticut (list) Susan Bysiewicz Democratic Secretary of the State of Connecticut
Connecticut House
January 9, 2019 2027 Same ticket in the general elections;
Separate elections in the primaries
Delaware (list) Bethany Hall-Long Democratic Delaware Senate
Delaware House
January 17, 2017 2025 Separate election
Florida (list) Jeanette Nuñez Republican Florida House January 8, 2019 2027 (term limits) Same ticket
Georgia (list) Burt Jones Republican Georgia Senate January 9, 2023 2027 Separate election
Hawaii (list) Sylvia Luke Democratic Hawaii House December 5, 2022 2026 Same ticket in the general elections;
Separate elections in the primaries
Idaho (list) Scott Bedke Republican Idaho House Speaker January 2, 2023 2027 Separate election
Illinois (list) Juliana Stratton Democratic Illinois House January 14, 2019 2027 Same ticket
Indiana (list) Suzanne Crouch Republican Auditor
Indiana House
January 9, 2017 2025 (retiring) Same ticket in the general elections;
Separate elections in the primaries
Iowa (list) Vacant Same ticket
Kansas (list) David Toland Democratic State Secretary of Commerce January 2, 2021 2027 Same ticket
Kentucky (list) Jacqueline Coleman Democratic No prior offices December 10, 2019 2027 (term limits) Same ticket
Louisiana (list) Billy Nungesser Republican Plaquemines Parish President January 11, 2016 2028 Separate election
Maryland (list) Aruna Miller Democratic Maryland House of Delegates January 18, 2023 2027 Same ticket
Massachusetts (list) Kim Driscoll Democratic Mayor of Salem January 5, 2023 2027 Same ticket in the general elections;
Separate elections in the primaries
Michigan (list) Garlin Gilchrist Democratic No prior offices January 1, 2019 2027 (term limits) Same ticket
Minnesota (list) Peggy Flanagan Democratic (DFL) Minnesota House January 7, 2019 2027 Same ticket
Mississippi (list) Delbert Hosemann Republican Mississippi Secretary of State January 14, 2020 2028 (term limits) Separate election
Missouri (list) Mike Kehoe Republican Missouri Senate June 18, 2018 2025 (retiring) Separate election
Montana (list) Kristen Juras Republican No prior offices January 4, 2021 2025 Same ticket
Nebraska (list) Joe Kelly Republican United States Attorney for the District of Nebraska January 5, 2023 2027 Same ticket
Nevada (list) Stavros Anthony Republican Las Vegas City Council January 2, 2023 2027 Separate election
New Jersey (list) Tahesha Way Democratic Secretary of State
Passaic County Freeholder
September 8, 2023 2026 Same ticket
New Mexico (list) Howie Morales Democratic New Mexico Senate
Grant County Clerk
January 1, 2019 2027 Same ticket in the general elections;
Separate elections in the primaries
New York (list) Antonio Delgado Democratic U.S. House May 25, 2022 2026[2] Same ticket in the general elections;
Separate elections in the primaries
North Carolina (list) Mark Robinson Republican No prior offices January 9, 2021 2025 (retiring) Separate election
North Dakota (list) Tammy Miller Republican No prior offices January 3, 2023 2024 (retiring) Same ticket
Ohio (list) Jon Husted Republican Secretary of State
Ohio Senate
House Speaker
Ohio House
January 14, 2019 2027 Same ticket
Oklahoma (list) Matt Pinnell Republican Chair of the Oklahoma Republican Party January 14, 2019 2027 Separate election
Pennsylvania (list) Austin Davis Democratic Pennsylvania House January 17, 2023 2027 Same ticket in the general elections;
Separate elections in the primaries
Rhode Island (list) Sabina Matos Democratic Providence City Council April 14, 2021 2027 Separate election
South Carolina (list) Pamela Evette Republican No prior offices January 9, 2019 2027 Same ticket
South Dakota (list) Larry Rhoden Republican South Dakota House Speaker January 5, 2019 2027 Same ticket
Tennessee (list) Randy McNally Republican Tennessee Senate
Tennessee House
January 10, 2017 2027 State Senate[3]
Texas (list) Dan Patrick Republican Texas Senate January 20, 2015 2027 Separate election
Utah (list) Deidre Henderson Republican Utah Senate January 4, 2021 2025 Same ticket
Vermont (list) David Zuckerman Progressive Lieutenant Governor of Vermont (2017–2021)
Vermont Senate
Vermont House of Representatives
January 5, 2023 2025 Separate election
Virginia (list) Winsome Sears in November 2021 Winsome Sears Republican Virginia House of Delegates January 15, 2022 2026 Separate election
Washington (list) Denny Heck Democratic U.S. House
Washington House
January 13, 2021 2025 Separate election
West Virginia (list) Craig Blair Republican West Virginia House
West Virginia Senate
January 13, 2021 2025 State Senate[4]
Wisconsin (list) Sara Rodriguez Democratic Wisconsin State Assembly January 3, 2023 2027 Same ticket in the general elections;
Separate elections in the primaries

State lieutenant governors-elect

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List of lieutenant governors by territory

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Territory Image Lieutenant governor Party Prior public experience Start of term End of term Chosen by[1]
American Samoa (list) Salo Ale Democratic Attorney General January 3, 2021 2025 Same ticket
Guam (list) Josh Tenorio Democratic No prior offices January 7, 2019 2027 Same ticket
Northern Mariana Islands (list) David Apatang Independent Mayor of Saipan January 9, 2023 2027 Same ticket
U.S. Virgin Islands (list) Tregenza Roach Democratic Legislature of the Virgin Islands January 7, 2019 2027 Same ticket

Territory lieutenant governors-elect

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States which do not have lieutenant governors

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Five states do not have a position of an official lieutenant governor. In these cases, the secretary of state or the president of the Senate is next in line for the governorship.

State Office Image Officeholder Party Prior public experience Start of term
Arizona[Note 1] Secretary of State Adrian Fontes Democratic County Recorder of Maricopa County January 2, 2023
Maine President of the Senate Troy Jackson Democratic Maine Senate December 5, 2018
New Hampshire President of the Senate Jeb Bradley Republican New Hampshire Senate
U.S. House
New Hampshire House of Representatives
December 7, 2022
Oregon Secretary of State[Note 2] Tobias Read[Note 2] Democratic Oregon House January 3, 2017
Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray Republican Wyoming House of Representatives January 2, 2023

Federal district and territories which do not have lieutenant governors or deputy mayors

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One territory, Puerto Rico, places the secretary of state next in line for the governorship. In the District of Columbia, the chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia is first in line of succession in the event of a vacancy in the office of mayor of the District of Columbia.

Jurisdiction Office Image Officeholder Party Prior public experience Start of term
District of Columbia Chairman of the Council Phil Mendelson[5] Democratic DC Councilman
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner
June 13, 2012
Puerto Rico Secretary of State Omar J. Marrero New Progressive No prior offices July 12, 2021

States and territories with differing party membership at the executive level

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In most states or territories, the governor and lieutenant governor are members of the same political party. In the following states, the designated successor to the governorship is of a different political party than the governor:

State
or territory
Governor Designated
successor
North Carolina Democratic Republican
Vermont Republican Progressive

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Proposition 131 passed in the 2022 election which will create the office of Arizona Lieutenant Governor starting with the 2026 election.
  2. ^ a b Because the current Oregon Secretary of State was appointed and not elected, Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read is first in the line of succession until the next election.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Executive Branch of the Several States". The Green Papers. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  2. ^ NY lieutenant gubernatorial terms begin at midnight New Year's Day.
  3. ^ The Tennessee Senate elects their speaker who serves as lieutenant governor. The full title of the office is Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Senate.
  4. ^ West Virginia Code 6A-1-4(b), as enacted in 2000, entitles the president of the West Virginia Senate to use the title Lieutenant Governor
  5. ^ Mendelson was initially appointed Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia after the position was vacated on June 6, 2012, due to the resignation of Kwame R. Brown. Brown had been charged in federal court with bank fraud and, after his resignation, was further charged in D.C. Superior Court with making an unlawful cash campaign expenditure. Mendelson was subsequently elected to complete Brown's term on November 6, 2013.