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Lieutenant Governor of Washington
| Washington Lieutenant Governor | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $124,127 |
| 2024-25 FY Budget: | $3,349,000 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Washington Constitution, Article 3, Section 2 |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
Lieutenant Governor of Washington
Denny Heck | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 7, 2028 |
| Last election: | November 5, 2024 |
| Other Washington 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 Commissioner | |
The Lieutenant Governor of Washington is an elected constitutional officer, the second ranking officer of the executive branch and the first officer in line to succeed the Governor of Washington. The lieutenant governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and has no term limit.
Current officeholder
- See also: Current Lieutenant Governors
The current Lieutenant Governor of Washington is Denny Heck (D). Heck assumed office in 2021.
Authority
Article 3 of the state constitution establishes the state's executive offices.
Article III, Section 2:
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Executive Department. The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor, attorney general, superintendent of public instruction, and a commissioner of public lands, who shall be severally chosen by the qualified electors of the state at the same time and place of voting as for the members of the legislature. |
Qualifications
Article 3, Section 25 of the state constitution establishes the qualifications of the office:
- a citizen of the United States
- a qualified elector in Washington
| Qualifications, Compensation, Offices Which May Be Abolished. No person, except a citizen of the United States and a qualified elector of this state, shall be eligible to hold any state office... |
Elections
Washington elects lieutenant governors in the presidential election years (e.g. 2020, 2024, 2028, 2032). Legally, the lieutenant gubernatorial inauguration is always set for noon on the second Monday in January following the election.
By law, lieutenant governors are elected in separate elections from governors in both the primary and general elections. This means it is possible to have a partisan split in the executive office.
In the event that two candidates tie with the most votes, the members of the state legislature vote between the two during the next legislative session.
2024
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Washington
Incumbent Denny Heck defeated Dan Matthews in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Washington on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Denny Heck (D) | 55.7 | 2,112,132 |
 | Dan Matthews (R)  | 44.2 | 1,674,025 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 4,376 | ||
| Total votes: 3,790,533 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Lieutenant Governor of Washington
Incumbent Denny Heck and Dan Matthews defeated Bob Hagglund, David Griffin, and Patrick Harman in the primary for Lieutenant Governor of Washington on August 6, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Denny Heck (D) | 48.6 | 927,395 |
| ✔ | | Dan Matthews (R) | 23.0 | 438,537 |
 | Bob Hagglund (R) | 16.7 | 319,071 | |
 | David Griffin (D) | 8.9 | 169,759 | |
 | Patrick Harman (Liberal Republican Party) | 2.6 | 50,330 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 2,538 | ||
| Total votes: 1,907,630 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Laurel Khan (R)
2020
General election
General election for Lieutenant Governor of Washington
Denny Heck defeated Marko Liias and Joshua Freed in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Washington on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Denny Heck (D) | 45.6 | 1,658,405 |
 | Marko Liias (D) | 33.5 | 1,218,548 | |
 | Joshua Freed (R) (Write-in) | 0.0 | 0 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 20.9 | 759,076 | ||
| Total votes: 3,636,029 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Lieutenant Governor of Washington
The following candidates ran in the primary for Lieutenant Governor of Washington on August 4, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Denny Heck (D) | 25.0 | 596,289 |
| ✔ | | Marko Liias (D) | 18.5 | 441,791 |
 | Ann Davison (R) | 12.0 | 285,597 | |
 | Marty McClendon (R) | 11.4 | 271,995 | |
 | Dick Muri (R) | 10.1 | 241,939 | |
 | Michelle Jasmer (D) | 8.9 | 212,387 | |
 | Joseph Brumbles (R) | 7.3 | 174,823 | |
| James Rafferty (D) | 2.4 | 57,405 | ||
 | Bill Penor (R) | 2.1 | 49,225 | |
| Matt Seymour (L) | 1.1 | 27,125 | ||
 | Jared Frerichs (L) | 0.9 | 20,847 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 5,205 | ||
| Total votes: 2,384,628 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- C. Mark Greene (Citizens' Party)
- Steve Hobbs (D)
- Cyrus Habib (D)
Past elections
Vacancies
Details of vacancies are addressed under Article V, Sections 7 and 8.
A vacancy in the office is filled by a gubernatorial nomination.
Duties
The lieutenant governor is the first officer in the line of succession in the event of the governor's death, resignation, removal, absence, or inability to serve. The lieutenant governor is also the President of the Washington State Senate.[1]
As of May 2016, the lieutenant governor also had the following statutory duties:[1]
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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 Washington 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: Washington state budget and finances
The budget for the Washington Lieutenant Governor's Office in Fiscal Year 2024-2025 was $3,349,000.[3]
Compensation
- See also: Comparison of lieutenant gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers
The lieutenant governor's salary is addressed in Article III, Section 16 of the Washington Constitution. The constitution initially set the annual salary of the lieutenant governor at $1,000 but provided for the amount to be raised to a maximum of $3,000 at the discretion of the Washington State Legislature. Since 1986, the lieutenant governor's salary is determined by the Washington Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials.[4]
In 1948, the voters adopted the 20th constitutional amendment, creating Article 28, Section 1, which authorized the state legislature to establish the compensation received by all elected state officials. Approved voters in the 1986 general election, House Joint Resolution 49 created the Washington Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials, the independent salary-setting authority that took over the legislature's responsibility of setting the salaries of elected officials across the three branches of the Washington state government.
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $124,127, according to the Council of State Governments.[5]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $117,300, according to the Council of State Governments.[6]
2021
In 2021, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $117,300, according to the Council of State Governments.[7]
2020
In 2020, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $111,180 according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2019
In 2019, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $103,937 according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2018
In 2018, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $102,908 according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2017
In 2017, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $101,889 according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2016
In 2016, the lieutenant governor’s salary was increased to $100,880 according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2015
In 2015, the lieutenant governor’s salary was increased to $97,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2014
In 2014, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $93,948 according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2013
In 2013, the lieutenant governor was paid an estimated $93,948. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.[15]
2012
In 2012, the lieutenant governor was paid an estimated $91,129 according to the Council of State Governments.
2010
In 2010, the lieutenant governor was paid an estimated $93,948, the 23rd highest lieutenant gubernatorial salary in America at the time.
Historical officeholders
There have been 17 lieutenant governors since Washington became a state in 1889.[16]
| List of officeholders from 1889-Present | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Tenure | Party | ||
| 1 | Charles E. Laughton | 1889-1893 |  Republican
| ||
| 2 | F. H. Luce | 1893-1897 | Republican
| ||
| 3 | Thurston Daniels | 1897-1901 | Populist | ||
| 4 | Henry McBride | 1901-1901 | Republican
| ||
| 5 | Charles E. Coon | 1905-1909 | Republican
| ||
| 6 | Marion E. Hay | 1909-1909 | Republican
| ||
| 7 | Louis F. Hart | 1913-1919 | Republican
| ||
| 8 | William (Wee) J. Coyle | 1921-1925 | Republican
| ||
| 9 | W. Lon Johnson | 1925-1929 | Republican
| ||
| 10 | John Arthur Gellatly | 1929-1933 | Republican
| ||
| 11 | Victor A. Meyers | 1933-1953 |  Democratic
| ||
| 12 | Emmett T. Anderson | 1953-1957 | Republican
| ||
| 13 | John A. Cherberg | 1957-1989 | Democratic
| ||
| 14 | Joel Pritchard | 1989-1997 | Republican
| ||
| 15 | Brad Owen | 1997-2017 | Democratic
| ||
| 16 | Cyrus Habib | 2017-2021 | Democratic
| ||
| 17 | Denny Heck | 2021 - Present | Democratic
| ||
Contact information
Physical Address:
Office of the Lt. Governor
220 Legislative Building
416 Sid Snyder Ave. S.W.
Olympia, Washington
Phone: (360) 786-7700
See also
| Washington | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 National Lieutenant Governors Association, "Pennsylvania Office of Lt. Governor Statutory Duties," accessed January 21, 2021
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Washington State Legislature, "Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5187," December 6, 2023
- ↑ Washington Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Elected Officials, "Home," accessed January 21, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 21, 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 28, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 21, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 21, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 21, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 21, 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 December 8, 2014
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," January 31, 2014
- ↑ Lieutenant Governor of Washington, "History," accessed January 21, 2021
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