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Lieutenant Governor (state executive office)
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In the United States, the office of lieutenant governor is the second-highest executive office in a state and is nominally subordinate to the governor. In the U.S., the main duty of the lieutenant governor is to act as governor should the governor be temporarily absent from the office. In addition, the lieutenant governor generally succeeds a governor who dies, resigns or is removed in trial by the legislative branch. In most states, the lieutenant governor then becomes governor, with the title and its associated salary, office, and privileges. In a few states, like Massachusetts, the lieutenant governor instead becomes "acting governor" until the next election.
Other than this primary constitutional duty, most state constitutions do not prescribe the duties of the lieutenant governor in detail.
In Hawaii, the lieutenant governor serves concurrently as the secretary of state. In Tennessee and West Virginia, the president of the Senate also serves as lieutenant governor and is elected from within the legislature.
Five states do not have a lieutenant governor position. Those states are Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Wyoming.
Political parties
The chart below shows the party affiliations of U.S. lieutenant governors. For other state executive offices, click here.
| Office |  Democratic
|
 Republican
|
 Independent
|
Vacant | Total seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Lieutenant Governors | 20 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 45 |
| Counts current as of September 2025 This count excludes territories. If you see an error, please email us | |||||
Current officeholders
List of current lieutenant governors
Note: In Hawaii, the lieutenant governor serves concurrently as the secretary of state. In Tennessee and West Virginia, the president of the Senate also serves as lieutenant governor and is elected from within the legislature.
Five states do not have a lieutenant governor position. Those states are: Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Wyoming.
Comparison across states
In 26 states, the lieutenant governor is selected on a ticket with the governor, meaning that lieutenant gubernatorial candidates serve as running mates to gubernatorial candidates, with the winning gubernatorial candidate's running mate becoming lieutenant governor. In eight of these states, there are separate primaries for governor and lieutenant governor, with the winning candidate in each primary appearing on the general election ticket. In the remaining 18 states, gubernatorial candidates may pick their own running mates in a similar fashion to presidential candidates. In 17 states, the lieutenant governor is elected separately from the governor. In Tennessee and West Virginia, the title of lieutenant governor is given to the president of the state Senate.[1]
- Lt. gov. nominated in separate primary and elected in separate general election (17): Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington
- Lt. gov. nominated in separate primary but runs on a single ticket with gubernatorial nominee in general election (7): Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin
- Lt. gov. chosen by gubernatorial candidate before primary and runs on a single ticket with gubernatorial candidate in both the primary and general election (9): Alaska, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah
- Lt. gov. chosen by gubernatorial nominee after primary and runs on a single ticket with gubernatorial nominee in the general election (10): Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, South Carolina, South Dakota
- Lt. gov. is a member of the legislature (2): Tennessee, West Virginia
- Lt. gov. office does not exist in state (5): Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Wyoming
Election history
2025
- See also: Lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2025
Two states are holding elections for lieutenant governor in 2025:
2024
- See also: Lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2024
Nine states held elections for lieutenant governor in 2024:
2023
- See also: Lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2023
Three states held elections for lieutenant governor in 2023:
2022
- See also: Lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2022
Thirty states held elections for lieutenant governor in 2022:
Success running for governor
An April 2013 Governing article looked at how lieutenant governors have performed in gubernatorial elections in recent history. According to the article, lieutenant governors made 55 attempts on the governor's office since the early 1990s. Of these 55 attempts, 17 won and 38 lost—a success rate of 31 percent.[3]
Governing's research covered about 25 years of electoral history. In that timeframe, Democratic lieutenant governors ran 37 times and Republican lieutenant governors ran 17 times, while only one independent lieutenant governor made a bid. Democratic lieutenant governors performed slightly better than their Republican counterparts overall, winning 35 percent of their gubernatorial contests, compared with 24 percent of Republicans. Those who ran unsuccessfully for governor often had difficulty recovering afterward. As the article notes, most of the losing lieutenant governors never won high office again.[3]
Virginia's lieutenant governors stood out for their relatively strong record of success. Since 1977, incumbent lieutenant governors in Virginia sought the governorship nine times and won four of them. In Virginia, governors are not allowed to serve two consecutive terms in office. This provides lieutenant governors with an advantage. University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato explained the situation, stating, "It's a part-time, poorly paid post whose occupants mainly spend their time running for governor." And due to Virginia's system, Sabato added, "being seen as in the wings is a big plus."[3]
See also
- State executive offices
- Lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2022
- Lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2023
- Lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2024
- State executive official elections, 2022
- State executive official elections, 2023
- State executive official elections, 2024
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ National Lieutenant Governors Association, "Methods of Election," accessed August 27, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 - Lieutenant Governors: Powers and Duties," accessed August 27, 2025
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Governing, "How Successful Are Lieutenant Governors Seeking the Governorship?" April 12, 2013
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