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. Five states do not have a lieutenant governor.
List of lieutenant governors by state
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.
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List of lieutenant governors by territory
|
Democratic (3) Independent (1) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Territory | Picture | Lieutenant governor | Party | Prior office(s) held | Took office | Seat up | Chosen by[1] | ||
 American Samoa(List) |
 |
Salo Ale | Democratic | Attorney General | Jan 3, 2021 | 2025 | Same ticket | ||
 Guam(List) |
 |
Josh Tenorio | Democratic | No prior offices | Jan 7, 2019 | 2027 | Same ticket | ||
 Northern Mariana Islands(List) |
 |
David Apatang | Independent | Mayor of Saipan | Jan 9, 2023 | 2027 | Same ticket | ||
 United States Virgin Islands(List) |
 |
Tregenza Roach | Democratic | Legislature of the Virgin Islands | Jan 7, 2019 | 2027 | Same ticket | ||
States which do not have lieutenant governors
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.
|
Democratic (3) Republican (2) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Picture | Officeholder | Party | Prior office(s) held | Took position | ||||
 Arizona[Note 1](List) |
Secretary of State |  |
Adrian Fontes | Democratic | County Recorder of Maricopa County | Jan 2, 2023 | ||||
 Maine(List) |
President of the Senate | _(3x4).jpg.webp) |
Troy Jackson | Democratic | Maine Senate | Dec 5, 2018 | ||||
 New Hampshire(List) |
President of the Senate |  |
Jeb Bradley | Republican | New Hampshire Senate U.S. House New Hampshire House of Representatives |
Dec 7, 2022 | ||||
 Oregon(List) |
Secretary of State[Note 2] |  |
Tobias Read[Note 2] | Democratic | Oregon House | Jan 3, 2017 | ||||
 Wyoming(List) |
Secretary of State |  |
Chuck Gray | Democratic | Wyoming House of Representatives | Jan 2, 2023 | ||||
Federal district and territories which do not have lieutenant governors or deputy mayors
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.
|
Democratic (1) New Progressive (1) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal district or territory |
Office | Picture | Officeholder | Party | Prior Offices Held | Took position | |||
 District of Columbia(List) |
Chairman of the Council |  |
Phil Mendelson[5] | Democratic | DC Councilman Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner |
Jun 13, 2012 | |||
 Puerto Rico(List) |
Secretary of State | Omar J. Marrero | New Progressive | No prior offices | Jul 12, 2021 | ||||
States and territories with differing party membership at the executive level
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | Democratic | Republican |
| North Carolina | Democratic | Republican |
| Vermont | Republican | Progressive |
See also
Notes
- ↑ Proposition 131 passed in the 2022 election which will create the office of Arizona Lieutenant Governor starting with the 2026 election.
- 1 2 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
- 1 2 "Executive Branch of the Several States". The Green Papers. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
- ↑ NY lieutenant gubernatorial terms begin at midnight New Year's Day.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 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.
