Lieutenant Governor of Delaware
| Delaware Lieutenant Governor | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Term limits: | 2 terms |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Delaware Constitution, Article III, Section 19 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder | |
 | |
| Name: | Matthew Denn |
| Officeholder Party: | Democratic |
| Assumed office: | January 20, 2009 |
| Compensation: | $74,345 |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | Term limited |
| Last election: | November 6, 2012 |
| Other Delaware Executive Offices | |
| Governor•Lieutenant Governor•Secretary of State•Attorney General•Treasurer•Auditor•Secretary of Education•Agriculture Secretary•Insurance Commissioner•Natural Resources Secretary•Labor Secretary•Public Service Commission | |
Contents |
Current officeholder
- See also: Current Lieutenant Governors
The 25th and current lieutenant governor is Matthew Denn, a Democrat elected in 2008. He won re-election in 2012 and his current term will end in January of 2017.[1]
Before becoming lieutenant governor, Denn served one term as Delaware's Insurance Commissioner. Before becoming commissioner, he was a practicing attorney and, from 2001 to 2003, chief legal counsel to the Governor of Delaware.[2]
Authority
The state constitution addresses the office of the lieutenant governor in Article III, the Executive Department.
Delaware Constitution, Article III, Section 19
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A Lieutenant-Governor shall be chosen at the same time, in the same manner, for the same term, and subject to the same provisions as the Governor... |
Qualifications
| Governors |
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| Current Governors |
| Gubernatorial Elections |
| 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 Lists of candidates |
| Current Lt. Governors |
| Lt. Governor Elections |
| 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010 |
| Breaking news |
Under Article III, Section 6 of the state constitution, the governor must be at 30 years old, a citizen of the United States for at least 12 years on the day of the election, and a resident of Delaware for at least six years on the same date.
Elections
- See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state
- See also: Election of lieutenant governors
Delaware elects lieutenant governors during presidential elections, that is, in leap years. For Delaware, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 are all lieutenant gubernatorial election years. Legally, the lieutenant gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the third Tuesday in the January following an election. Thus, January 15, 2013 and January 17, 2017 are inaugural days.
In the unlikely event that two candidates receive the exact same vote tally at the general election, a joint session of the legislature shall cast ballots to choose one-third of the members of each chamber to make up a special joint committee, which will in turn cast ballots for the lieutenant governor. In the even more unlikely event that the legislature is similarly tied, the President of the Senate shall have the deciding vote (§ 4).
Although in practice the candidate for lieutenant governor is nominated as a ticket with the candidate for governor, the offices of governor and lieutenant governor are voted on separately in Delaware. In 1972 and 1984, the governor and lieutenant governor were elected from different parties.
2012
Incumbent Matthew Denn defeated challengers Sher Valenzuela (R) and Margie Waite-McKeown (L) in the November 6, 2012 general election.
| Lieutenant Governor of Delaware General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Matthew Denn Incumbent |
61.6% | 238,959 | |
| Republican | Sher Valenzuela | 37.1% | 143,978 | |
| Libertarian | Margie Waite-McKeown | 1.3% | 5,206 | |
| Total Votes | 388,143 | |||
| Election Results via Delaware State Board of Elections. | ||||
Term limits
Delaware's lieutenant governor is subject to a lifetime limit of two terms in office.
Vacancies
Details of vacancies are addressed under Article III, Section 20.
The lieutenant governor is the lone officer of the executive who may not be removed, for cause, by the governor. If the office beocmes vacant through death, disability, or resignation, the line of succession is as follows:
- the Attorney General
- the President Pro Tem of the Senate
- the Speaker of the House
However, none of those officers may succeed unless they meet the eligibility requirements for the lieutenant governor.
Duties
As in many other U.S. state legislatures, the lieutenant governor also serves as the President of the Delaware State Senate, though he or she can only issue a vote if there is a tie on any vote. The lieutenant governor also has a constitutionally provided seat on the Delaware Board of Pardons.
He has other responsibilities and duties as the Governor shall assign.
Compensation
- See also: Comparison of lieutenant gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers
The lieutenant governor's pay is set by law and may not be increased or diminished effective during the current term.
2012
In 2012, the lieutenant governor was paid an estimated $77,775. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.
2010
In 2010, the lieutenant governor was paid $74,345 a year, the 32nd highest lieutenant gubernatorial salary in America.
Former officeholders
From 1901-2011, Delaware has had 25 lieutenant governors. 13 have been Democrats and 12 have been Republicans.[3]
| # | Name | Took office | Left office | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phillip L. Cannon | January 15, 1901 | January 17, 1905 | Republican |
| 2 | Isaac Thomas Parker | January 17, 1905 | January 19, 1909 | Republican |
| 3 | John M. Mendinhall | January 19, 1909 | January 21, 1913 | Republican |
| 4 | Colen Ferguson | January 21, 1913 | January 16, 1917 | Democratic |
| 5 | Lewis T. Eliason | January 16, 1917 | May 2, 1919 | Democratic |
| 6 | J. Danford Bush | January 18, 1921 | January 20, 1925 | Republican |
| 7 | James Hall Anderson | January 20, 1925 | January 15, 1929 | Republican |
| 8 | James Henry Hazel | January 15, 1929 | January 17, 1933 | Republican |
| 9 | Roy F. Corley | January 17, 1933 | January 19, 1937 | Republican |
| 10 | Edward Webb Cooch | January 19, 1937 | January 21, 1941 | Democratic |
| 11 | Isaac James MacCollum | January 21, 1941 | January 16, 1945 | Democratic |
| 12 | Elbert Nortrand Carvel | January 16, 1945 | January 18, 1949 | Democratic |
| 13 | Alexis Irenee du Pont Bayard | January 18, 1949 | January 20, 1953 | Democratic |
| 14 | John W. Rollins, Sr. | January 20, 1953 | January 15, 1957 | Republican |
| 15 | David Penrose Buckson | January 15, 1957 | December 30, 1960 | Republican |
| 16 | Eugene Lammot | January 17, 1961 | January 19, 1965 | Democratic |
| 17 | Sherman Willard Tribbitt | January 19, 1965 | January 21, 1969 | Democratic |
| 18 | Eugene Bookhammer | January 21, 1969 | January 18, 1977 | Republican |
| 19 | James D. McGinnis | January 18, 1977 | January 20, 1981 | Democratic |
| 20 | Michael Newbold Castle | January 20, 1981 | January 15, 1985 | Republican |
| 21 | Shien Biau Woo | January 15, 1985 | January 20, 1989 | Democratic |
| 22 | Dale E. Wolf | January 20, 1989 | December 31, 1992 | Republican |
| 23 | Ruth Ann Minner | January 19, 1993 | January 3, 2001 | Democratic |
| 24 | John C. Carney | January 16, 2001 | January 20, 2009 | Democratic |
| 25 | Matthew Denn | January 20, 2009 | Present | Democratic |
Contact information
Address:
Tatnall Building
3rd Floor
Dover, DE 19901
(302) 744-4333
See also
External links
Lieutenant Governor Office website
References
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