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Lieutenant Governor of Ohio

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Ohio Lieutenant Governor

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General information
Office Type:  Partisan
Office website:  Official Link
Compensation:  $186,867
Term limits:  Two consecutive terms
Structure
Length of term:   4 years
Authority:  Ohio Constitution, Article III, Section 1
Selection Method:  Elected
Current Officeholder(s)

Lieutenant Governor of Ohio Jim Tressel
Republican Party
Assumed office: February 14, 2025

Elections
Next election:  November 3, 2026
Last election:  November 8, 2022
Other Ohio Executive Offices
GovernorLieutenant GovernorSecretary of StateAttorney GeneralTreasurerAuditorSuperintendent of EducationAgriculture CommissionerInsurance CommissionerNatural Resources CommissionerLabor CommissionerPublic Service Commission

The Lieutenant Governor of Ohio is an elected constitutional officer, the second ranking officer of the executive branch and the first officer in line to succeed the Governor of Ohio. The lieutenant governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.

Current officeholder

See also: Current Lieutenant Governors

The current Lieutenant Governor of Ohio is Jim Tressel (R). Tressel assumed office in 2025.

Authority

The Ohio Constitution establishes the office of lieutenant governor in Article III, the Executive Department.

Under Article III, Section 1:

The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieutenant governor...[1]

Qualifications

A candidate for lieutenant governor may not hold any congressional, federal, or any other statewide office.[1]

Elections

Ohio state government organizational chart
See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state
See also: Election of lieutenant governors

Ohio elects lieutenant governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not presidential election years (e.g. 2018, 2022, 2026, and 2030). Legally, the lieutenant gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the second Monday in the January following an election.

If two candidates are tied, a joint session of the legislature shall cast votes to choose among the top two vote-getters.[1]


Term limits

Term limits for the lieutenant governor are laid out in Article III, Section 2 of the Ohio Constitution. The lieutenant governor is forbidden from serving more than two consecutive terms.

Ohio Constitution, Article III, Section 2:

The governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer of state, and attorney general shall hold their offices for four years commencing on the second Monday of January, 1959. Their terms of office shall continue until their successors are elected and qualified. The auditor of state shall hold his office for a term of two years from the second Monday of January, 1961 to the second Monday of January, 1963 and thereafter shall hold this office for a four year term. No person shall hold the office of governor for a period longer than two successive terms of four years. No person shall hold any one of the offices of lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer of state, attorney general, or auditor of state for a period longer than two successive terms of four years. Terms shall be considered successive unless separated by a period of four or more years. Only terms beginning on or after January 1, 1995 shall be considered in determining an individual’s eligibility to hold the office of lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer of state, attorney general, or auditor of state. In determining the eligibility of an individual to hold an office in accordance with this article, (A) time spent in an office in fulfillment of a term to which another person was first elected shall not be considered provided that a period of at least four years passed between the time, if any, in which the individual previously held that office, and the time the individual is elected or appointed to fulfill the unexpired term; and (B) a person who is elected to an office in a regularly scheduled general election and resigns prior to the completion of the term for which he or she was elected, shall be considered to have served the full term in that office.[2]

2022

See also: Ohio gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio

The following candidates ran in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jon Husted
Jon Husted (R)
 
62.4
 
2,580,424
Image of Cheryl Stephens
Cheryl Stephens (D)
 
37.4
 
1,545,489
Image of Shannon Walker
Shannon Walker (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.2
 
8,082
Dayna Bickley (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
574
Adina Pelletier (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
231
Collin Cook (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
77

Total votes: 4,134,877
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio

Cheryl Stephens defeated Teresa Fedor in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio on May 3, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Cheryl Stephens
Cheryl Stephens
 
65.0
 
331,014
Image of Teresa Fedor
Teresa Fedor
 
35.0
 
178,132

Total votes: 509,146
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio

Incumbent Jon Husted defeated Joe Knopp, Jeremiah Workman, and Candice Keller in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio on May 3, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jon Husted
Jon Husted
 
48.1
 
519,594
Image of Joe Knopp
Joe Knopp
 
28.0
 
302,494
Image of Jeremiah Workman
Jeremiah Workman
 
21.8
 
235,584
Image of Candice Keller
Candice Keller
 
2.1
 
22,411

Total votes: 1,080,083
Candidate Connection = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Past elections

NOTE: Official election results only list gubernatorial candidates. Their running mates are not listed.

Expand All
2018
2014
2010
2006
2002


Vacancies

Details of vacancies are addressed under Article III, Section 17a.

If the lieutenant governor becomes governor, the new governor is required to nominate a new lieutenant governor. The nominee must be confirmed by the Ohio General Assembly.

If the elected lieutenant governor is unable to continue serving or is removed, dies, or resigns, the governor nominates a replacement, subject to confirmation by the Ohio State Senate and then the entire Ohio General Assembly.[1]

Duties

The lieutenant governor's primary responsibility is to complete the duties assigned to him by the governor. The lieutenant governor becomes governor if the governor resigns, dies in office or is removed by impeachment.[3] As of January 20, 2021, the lieutenant governor oversaw the Ohio Common Sense Initiative (CSI) and served as the Director of both the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation and InnovateOhio.[4]

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 Ohio 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: Ohio state budget and finances

The office of the lieutenant governor does not receive a separate budget from the office of governor. The lieutenant governor is sometimes appointed to head a government agency. According to The Plain Dealer this is so, "a governor can get around paying both the lieutenant governor’s salary and the salaries of the office’s staff. Also the lieutenant governor can collect a bigger salary heading an agency."[5]

Compensation

See also: Comparison of lieutenant gubernatorial salaries

As established in Article III, Section 19 of the Ohio Constitution, the lieutenant governor's annual salary is legally fixed and may not be raised or decreased effective during the current term. The lieutenant governor's salary is set by Title 1, Chapter 141 of the Ohio Revised Code.[6]

2023

In 2023, the officer's salary was $186,867, according to the Council of State Governments.[7]

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $181,418, according to the Council of State Governments.[8]

2021

In 2021, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $174,449, according to the Council of State Governments.[9]

2020

In 2020, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $176,426 according to the Council of State Governments.[10]

2019

In 2019, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $176,426 according to the Council of State Governments.[11]

2018

In 2018, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $77,730 according to the Council of State Governments.[12]

2017

In 2017, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $150,404 according to the Council of State Governments.[13]

2016

In 2016, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $150,404 according to the Council of State Governments. The lieutenant governor's salary did not increase. Rather, Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor received a higher salary because she became the Ohio Director of Insurance.[14]

2015

In 2015, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $78,041 according to the Council of State Governments.[15]

2014

In 2014, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $78,041 according to the Council of State Governments.[16]

2013

In 2013, the lieutenant governor was paid an estimated $78,041. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.[17]

2010

In 2010, the lieutenant governor was paid $142,501, then the third highest lieutenant gubernatorial salary in America.[18]

Historical officeholders

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Lieutenant Governor of Ohio has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Ohio Lieutenant Governor. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Contact information

Lieutenant Governor's Office
Riffe Center, 30th Floor
77 South High Street
Columbus, OH 43215-6108

See also

Ohio State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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Ohio State Executive Offices
Ohio State Legislature
Ohio Courts
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Ohio elections: 2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Ohio State Legislature, "Constitution of the State of Ohio," accessed January 20, 2021
  2. Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  3. Ohio Constitution, "III.01b Lieutenant governor duties assigned by governor," accessed January 20, 2021
  4. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named about
  5. Cleveland.com, "Undefined role for Ohio's lieutenant governor often leads to double duty," accessed June 22, 2013
  6. LAWriter Ohio Laws and Rules, "Ohio Revised Code Title 1, Chapter 141: Salaries of State Officers," accessed January 20, 2021
  7. Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 21, 2025
  8. Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
  9. Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 28, 2022
  10. Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 20, 2021
  11. Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 20, 2021
  12. Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 20, 2021
  13. Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 20, 2021
  14. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
  15. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
  16. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 4, 2014
  17. Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," January 27, 2014
  18. [1]