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Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
| Alabama Lieutenant Governor | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $71,924 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $683,019 |
| Term limits: | Two consecutive terms |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Constitution of Alabama, Article V, Section 112 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
Will Ainsworth | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 3, 2026 |
| Last election: | November 8, 2022 |
| Other Alabama Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission | |
The lieutenant governor of Alabama is an elected constitutional officer, the second ranking officer of the executive branch and the first officer in line to succeed the governor of Alabama. The lieutenant governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.[1]
Established soon after the Civil War, the office of lieutenant governor was abolished with the 1875 Constitution and recreated in the 1901 constitution. The lieutenant governor's duties include acting as the successor to the governor and as the president of the state Senate. In Alabama, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected separately and thus may be from different parties.
Current officeholder
- See also: Current Lieutenant Governors
The current Lieutenant Governor of Alabama is Will Ainsworth (R). Ainsworth assumed office in 2019.
Authority
The Alabama Constitution establishes the office of the lieutenant governor in Article V, the Executive Department.
Constitution of Alabama, Article V, Section 112
|
The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieutenant governor... |
Qualifications
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The lieutenant governor may not hold any federal or state office in Alabama concurrently with his gubernatorial term. Additionally, the lieutenant governor must be at least 30 years old, an American citizen for at least ten years on the date of the election and a resident of Alabama for at least seven years.
Constitution of Alabama, Article V, Section 116
|
The governor, lieutenant governor, attorney-general, state auditor, secretary of state, state treasurer, superintendent of education, commissioner of agriculture and industries, elected after the ratification of this Constitution, shall hold their respective offices for the term of four years from the first Monday after the second Tuesday in January next succeeding their election, and until their successors shall be elected and qualified. |
Constitution of Alabama, Article V, Section 117
|
The governor and lieutenant governor shall each be at least thirty years of age when elected, and shall have been citizens of the United States ten years and resident citizens of this state at least seven years next before the date of their election. |
Elections
- See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state
- See also: Election of lieutenant governors
Per Section 114 of the state constitution, Alabama elects its lieutenant governors during federal midterm election years (e.g. 2018, 2022, 2026 and 2030). Section 116 sets the lieutenant governor's inauguration for the first Monday after the second Tuesday in the January following an election.
Constitution of Alabama, Article V, Section 114
| The governor, lieutenant governor, attorney-general, state auditor, secretary of state, state treasurer, superintendent of education, and commissioner of agriculture and industries shall be elected by the qualified electors of the state at the same time and places appointed for the election of members of the legislature in the year nineteen hundred and two, and in every fourth year thereafter. |
Constitution of Alabama, Article V, Section 116
| The governor, lieutenant governor, attorney-general, state auditor, secretary of state, state treasurer, superintendent of education, commissioner of agriculture and industries, elected after the ratification of this Constitution, shall hold their respective offices for the term of four years from the first Monday after the second Tuesday in January next succeeding their election, and until their successors shall be elected and qualified. |
Term limits
- See also: Lieutenant Governors with term limits
An amendment to the Alabama Constitution prohibits the lieutenant governor from serving more than two consecutive terms.
Alabama Constitution, Amendment 282:
| The governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state auditor, secretary of state, state treasurer, superintendent of education, and commissioner of agriculture and industries, shall hold their respective offices for the term of four years from the first Monday after the second Tuesday in January next succeeding their election and until their successors shall be elected and qualified. Each of said officers shall be eligible to succeed himself in office, but no person shall be eligible to succeed himself for more than one additional term. |
2022
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama
Incumbent Will Ainsworth defeated Ruth Page-Nelson in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Will Ainsworth (R) | 83.7 | 957,534 |
 | Ruth Page-Nelson (L) | 15.6 | 178,660 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 8,103 | ||
| Total votes: 1,144,297 | |||
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Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Will Ainsworth advanced from the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama.
Past elections
Vacancies
Details of vacancy appointments are addressed under Article V, Sections 127 and 128.
The following line of succession exists to fill a vacancy in the lieutenant governor's office:
- the President Pro Tem of the Alabama State Senate
- the Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives
- the Attorney General of Alabama
- the Alabama State Auditor
- the Alabama Secretary of State
- the Alabama Treasurer
Duties
Under the Alabama Constitution, the lieutenant governor serves as president of the state Senate. The Senate General Rules of Order and Procedure stipulate that the president, if present, serves as presiding officer of the senate.[2] Before 1999, the lieutenant governor had the power as president to determine which senators were assigned to which committees and to refer bills to committees.[3][4][5]
Under state statute, the lieutenant governor is an ex officio member of 23 state committees and is responsible for appointments to over 400 seats on over 160 committees. The lieutenant governor also serves as the final level of appeal under the state's Administrative Procedures Act.[6]
Divisions
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Lieutenant Governor of Alabama has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
State budget
- See also: Alabama state budget and finances
The budget for the lieutenant governor's office in Fiscal Year 2025 was $683,019.[7]
Compensation
- See also: Comparison of lieutenant gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers
The salary of the lieutenant governor is established by the Alabama State Legislature, as required by constitutional provision.[8] Alabama Constitution, Article V, Section 118 of the state constitution requires that changes in compensation take effect in the term after they were passed.
Alabama Constitution, Article V, Section 118
| The governor, lieutenant governor, attorney-general, state auditor, secretary of state, state treasurer, superintendent of education, and commissioner of agriculture and industries, shall receive compensation to be fixed by law, which shall not be increased or diminished during the term for which they shall have been elected, and shall, except the lieutenant governor, reside at the state capital during the time they continue in office, except during epidemics. |
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $71,924, according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $70,030, according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2021
In 2021, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $69,998, according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2020
In 2020, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $52,102 according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2019
In 2019, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $60,830 according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2018
In 2018, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $60,830 according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2017
In 2017, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $60,830 according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2016
In 2016, the lieutenant governor’s salary decreased to $60,830 according to the Council of State Governments.[16]
2015
In 2015, the lieutenant governor's salary increased to an estimated $69,503 according to the Council of State Governments.[17]
2014
In 2014, the lieutenant governor's salary decreased to $68,556 according to the Council of State Governments.[18]
2013
In 2013, the lieutenant governor was paid an estimated $134,592. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.
Historical officeholders
There have been 31 lieutenant governors of Alabama since 1869. Of the 31 officeholders, four were Republican and 27 were Democrat. The office was created by the Constitutional Convention of 1867. It was later abolished at the Constitutional Convention of 1875 and then re-established at the Constitutional Convention of 1901.[19]
| List of officeholders from 1869-Present | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Tenure | Party | ||
| 1 | Andrew J. Applegate | 1869-1870 |  Republican
| ||
| 2 | Edward H. Moren | 1870-1872 |  Democratic
| ||
| 3 | Alexander McKinstry | 1872-1874 | Republican
| ||
| 4 | Robert F. Ligon | 1874-1876 | Democratic
| ||
| 5 | Russell M. Cunningham | 1903-1907 | Democratic
| ||
| 6 | Henry B. Gray | 1907-1911 | Democratic
| ||
| 7 | Walter D. Seed, Sr. | 1911-1915 | Democratic
| ||
| 8 | Thomas E. Kilby | 19151-1919 | Democratic
| ||
| 9 | Nathan L. Miller | 1919-1923 | Democratic
| ||
| 10 | Charles S. McDowell, Jr. | 1923-1927 | Democratic
| ||
| 11 | William C. Davis | 1927-1931 | Democratic
| ||
| 12 | Hugh D. Merrill | 1931-1935 | Democratic
| ||
| 13 | Thomas E. Knight, Jr. | 1935-1937 | Democratic
| ||
| 14 | Albert A. Carmichael | 1939-1943 | Democratic
| ||
| 15 | Leven H. Ellis | 1943-1947 | Democratic
| ||
| 16 | James C. Inzer | 1947-1951 | Democratic
| ||
| 17 | James B. Allen | 1951-1955 | Democratic
| ||
| 18 | Willima G. Hardwick | 1955-1959 | Democratic
| ||
| 19 | Albert B. Boutwell | 1959-1963 | Democratic
| ||
| 20 | James B. Allen | 1963-1967 | Democratic
| ||
| 21 | Albert P. Brewer | 1967-1968 | Democratic
| ||
| 22 | Jere Beasley | 1971-1979 | Democratic
| ||
| 23 | George McMillian, Jr. | 1979-1983 | Democratic
| ||
| 24 | Bill Baxley | 1983-1987 | Democratic
| ||
| 25 | Jim Folsom, Jr. | 1987-1993 | Democratic
| ||
| 26 | Don Siegelman | 1995-1999 | Democratic
| ||
| 27 | Steve Windom | 1999-2003 | Republican
| ||
| 28 | Lucy Baxley | 2003-2007 | Democratic
| ||
| 29 | Jim Folsom, Jr. | 2007-2011 | Democratic
| ||
| 30 | Kay Ivey | 2011-April 2017 | Republican
| ||
| 31 | Will Ainsworth | 2019-present | Republican
| ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Alabama Lieutenant Governor. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact information
Physical address:
11 S Union Street
Montgomery, Alabama 36130
Phone: 334-261-9590
See also
| Alabama | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Lieutenant Governor of Alabama, "About," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ The Alabama Legislature, "Senate General Rules of Order and Procedure," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ The New York Times, "In Alabama, Senate Ends Bitter Rift Over Leader," March 31, 1999
- ↑ The Pew Charitable Trusts, "Deal Ends Political Row That Tied Alabama Senate in Knots," April 6, 1999
- ↑ AL.com, "Former Alabama lieutenant governors say keep the office strong," March 22, 2018
- ↑ National Lieutenant Governors Association, "Alabama Office of Lt. Governor Statutory Duties," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Alabama Department of Finance, "Act 2024-355," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ FindLaw, "ALA CODE § 36-6-8 : Alabama Code - Section 36-6-8: SALARIES OF CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS, PERSONS NOT COVERED BY MERIT SYSTEM AND PERSONS WHOSE SALARY NOT SET BY GOVERNOR," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 18, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 14, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Department of Archives and History, "Alabama Lieutenant Governors," accessed January 18, 2021
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