Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey

How vacancies are filled in state executive offices

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
StateExecLogo.png
State Executive Offices
Elections by Year
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011
State Executive Analyses
Compensation
Education
Irregular office changes
Place of birth
Term limits
Trifectas and triplexes
Vacancy procedures

The process for filling vacancies varies by state and state executive office office. Methods for filling vacancies include gubernatorial appointment, legislative appointment, appointment by another state official, or a hybrid system.

This page provides information on how every state legislature fills its vacancies. The most common reasons for a state executive vacancy include officeholders resigning, dying, leaving for a new job, being elected or appointed to a different office, or receiving a legal conviction. This section below provides information on how each office fills vacancies according to its state constitution and the different vacancy fill systems. This page also gives information on past state executive vacancies.

HIGHLIGHTS
  • Between 2012 and 2024, there were 53 irregular changes in public service commissioner offices; the most of any office. This is followed by superintendent of schools, with 48 irregular changes.
  • The three years with the largest increase of office changes from the year prior were those that followed a presidential election. Ballotpedia tracked 15 irregular office changes in 2012 and then 36 in 2013, three in 2016 and then 23 in 2017, and 11 in 2020 and then 43 in 2021.
  • Heading into 2025, the most irregular office changes in a single state in a single year is six, a record set in New Jersey in 2023.

    • How are vacancies filled in state executive offices?

    The method for filling a state executive official vacancy varies by both the office and state. Select an office tab below to see a map of how each state fills a vacancy and a table that breaks down the different systems used to fill vacancies. Underneath, select a state-specific office to learn more about how it is filled through state law. Please note this page is undergoing updates, and each tab may not contain every component at this time.

    Not every state executive office exists in all 50 states, and the name of an office may vary across states where it is found. For example, the state executive office of controller is known as comptroller in several states like Indiana, Maryland, and New Jersey.

    State executive official vacancies can be filled through gubernatorial appointments, state legislative appointments, appointments by another office, a type of hybrid system, or in rare circumstances, a special election. We designate a state as having a hybrid system if a vacancy is filled by one or more methods. The method employed in these states is usually dependent on if the state legislature is in session, the amount of time remaining in the vacant executive official's term, or the time until the next general election in that state. Some offices require the appointment to be confirmed by either the state senate or both chambers of the state legislature. This information is denoted on the map for each state.

    Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches the constitutional or statutory text that details the process of filling vacancies for a state executive office. For some offices, the map does not list any information on how the vacancy is filled which indicates that after extensive research, we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office, please email us.

    Vacancy fill systems by state

    Types of systems used to fill vacancies

    How state governor vacancies are filled
    First in succession Offices
    Lieutenant governor (45) Alabama Governor • Alaska Governor • Arkansas Governor • California Governor • Colorado Governor • Connecticut Governor • Delaware Governor • Florida Governor • Georgia Governor • Hawaii Governor • Idaho Governor • Illinois Governor • Indiana Governor • Iowa Governor • Kansas Governor • Kentucky Governor • Louisiana Governor • Maryland Governor • Massachusetts Governor • Michigan Governor • Minnesota Governor • Mississippi Governor • Missouri Governor • Montana Governor • Nebraska Governor • Nevada Governor • New Jersey Governor • New Mexico Governor • New York Governor • North Carolina Governor • North Dakota Governor • Ohio Governor • Oklahoma Governor • Pennsylvania Governor • Rhode Island Governor • South Carolina Governor • South Dakota Governor • Tennessee Governor • Texas Governor • Utah Governor • Vermont Governor • Virginia Governor • Washington Governor • West Virginia Governor • Wisconsin Governor
    Secretary of state (3) Arizona Governor • Oregon Governor • Wyoming Governor
    President of senate (2) Maine Governor • New Hampshire Governor

    Offices


    Historical data on state executive vacancies

    Party breakdown

    This chart compares the party breakdown of irregular office changes by year.

    Party breakdown by year, 2012-2024
    Year Total by year Vacancies
    Democratic Party Democrats Republican Party Republicans Grey.png Nonpartisan
    2024 38 3 5 30
    2023 65 7 11 47
    2022 53 6 9 38
    2021 43 11 11 21
    2020 11 0 1 10
    2019 4 0 1 3
    2018 21 1 13 7
    2017 23 1 17 5
    2016 3 1 1 1
    2015 9 5 2 2
    2014 12 1 4 7
    2013 36 3 12 21
    2012 15 1 4 10
    Total by party 333 40 91 202

    Ballot breakdown

    This chart compares irregular office changes per year by top ballot and down ballot offices. Top ballot offices include governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and attorney general. Down ballot offices are all state executive offices covered by Ballotpedia outside of these four positions.

    Top ballot and down ballot offices, 2012-2024
    Year Total by year Vacancies
    Top ballot Down ballot
    2024 38 2 36
    2023 65 12 53
    2022 53 12 41
    2021 43 16 27
    2020 11 1 10
    2019 4 1 3
    2018 21 9 12
    2017 23 10 13
    2016 3 2 1
    2015 9 4 5
    2014 12 4 8
    2013 36 9 27
    2012 15 2 13
    Total by office 333 84 249

    Office comparison

    The first chart compares the irregular top ballot office changes per year by position. The second chart compares irregular down ballot office changes per year by position.

    Breakdown by top ballot offices, 2012-2024
    Year Total by year Vacancies
    Governor Lieutenant Governor Secretary of State Attorney General
    2024 2 0 1 1 0
    2023 11 0 3 5 4
    2022 12 0 1 8 3
    2021 16 2 2 6 6
    2020 1 0 0 1 0
    2019 1 0 0 1 0
    2018 9 2 2 4 1
    2017 10 3 3 1 3
    2016 2 0 1 0 1
    2015 4 1 2 1 0
    2014 4 0 4 0 0
    2013 9 0 4 2 3
    2012 2 0 1 1 0
    Total by office 84 8 24 31 21


    Breakdown by down ballot offices, 2012-2024
    Year Total by year Vacancies
    Treasurer Auditor Sup't of Schools Insurance Commish Controller Ag Commish Land/Natural Resources Labor Commish Public Services Other
    2024 36 0 0 3 5 1 1 4 5 10 7
    2023 53 2 1 16 5 3 6 5 6 4 5
    2022 41 1 3 8 5 1 3 5 5 6 4
    2021 27 3 2 2 1 1 0 5 2 8 3
    2020 10 0 0 3 3 0 0 1 2 1 0
    2019 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
    2018 12 1 1 1 0 0 3 0 0 6 0
    2017 10 4 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 0
    2016 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
    2015 5 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0
    2014 8 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 3 0
    2013 30 3 3 4 3 0 2 4 1 10 0
    2012 13 1 0 5 0 1 0 1 3 2 0
    Total by office 249 16 13 45 25 8 15 26 27 54 20

    State comparison

    This chart compares irregular office changes per year by state.

    Party breakdown by year, 2012-2024
    Year Total by year Vacancies
    AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY
    2024 38 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 3 1 3 1 0 1 1 3 2 1 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 0
    2023 65 0 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 5 0 2 1 2 2 1 3 2 1 6 5 1 1 2 0 1 2 4 0 1 1 1 2 0 1 2 0 1 1 0
    2022 53 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 3 0 1 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 4 2 0 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 4 0 2 2 2
    2021 43 1 1 1 0 3 1 3 0 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 4 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 1 1 0 2
    2020 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    2019 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
    2018 21 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
    2017 23 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 2 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    2016 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    2015 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    2014 12 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
    2013 36 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 5 3 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 3 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 1
    2012 15 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 1
    Total by state 333 8 7 4 4 6 5 6 2 10 5 8 4 6 11 8 6 4 4 4 12 3 7 3 6 7 3 8 7 4 10 8 10 4 6 8 10 8 12 4 7 4 4 14 7 6 8 1 6 4 9

    Changes 2012-2023

    Resignation data

    The highlighted cells in the table below indicate which category the irregular office change falls into: political, professional and personal. A cell with N/A indicates a change that does not conform to any of the three categories or the reasons were never specified.

    Note: This list may be incomplete. If you know of any irregular office changes which have not been included here, please email us.
    State Executive Officials who Left Office Prior to their Term Completion
    Name State Office Partisan Reason Departure Date Term End Date Successor

    -

    Tiffany Sanderson South Dakota South Dakota Secretary of Education Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional January 1, 2023 N/A Joe Graves
    Elisa Cafferata Nevada Nevada Director of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional January 2, 2023 N/A Chris Sewell
    Brent Sanford North Dakota Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota Ends.png Republican Professional January 2, 2023 December 15, 2024 Tammy Miller
    Jennifer Ott Nevada Nevada Director of Agriculture Grey.png Nonpartisan Political January 2, 2023 N/A Julian Goicoechea
    Matthew Blomstedt Nebraska Nebraska Commissioner of Education Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional January 3, 2023 N/A Brian Maher
    Eric Schmitt Missouri Attorney General of Missouri Ends.png Republican Professional January 3, 2023 January 8, 2024 Andrew Bailey
    John Fetterman Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania Electiondot.png Democratic Political January 3, 2023 January 17, 2023 Kim Ward (acting)
    Akis Gialopsos Alaska Alaska Commissioner of Natural Resources Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional January 6, 2023 N/A John Boyle
    Heather Mueller Minnesota Minnesota Commissioner of Education Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional January 7, 2023 N/A Willie Jett
    Scott Fitzpatrick Missouri Missouri Treasurer Ends.png Republican Political January 09, 2023 N/A Vivek Malek
    Tamika Ledbetter Alaska Alaska Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional January 13, 2023 N/A Catherine Muñoz
    Josh Shapiro Pennsylvania Attorney General of Pennsylvania Electiondot.png Democratic Political January 17, 2023 January 21, 2025 Michelle Henry (acting)
    Jennifer Berrier Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal January 17, 2023 N/A Nancy A. Walker
    John C. Wobensmith Maryland Maryland Secretary of State Ends.png Republican Political January 18, 2023 January 18, 2023 Susan Lee (acting)
    Joe Bartenfelder Maryland Maryland Secretary of Agriculture Grey.png Nonpartisan Political January 18, 2023 N/A Kevin Atticks
    Celia Gould Idaho Idaho Director of Agriculture Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal January 20, 2023 N/A Chanel Tewalt
    Russell Toal New Mexico New Mexico Superintendent of Insurance Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal January 20, 2023 December 31, 2023 Jennifer Catechis (acting), Alice Kane
    Kurt Steinhaus New Mexico New Mexico Secretary of Education Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal January 27, 2023 N/A Arsenio Romero
    Carmen Ayala Illinois Illinois Superintendent of Education Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal January 31, 2023 January 31, 2023 Tony Sanders
    Jillian Balow Virginia Virginia Superintendent of Public Instruction Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional March 8, 2023 N/A Lisa Coons
    Ann Lebo Iowa Iowa Director of Education Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional March 14, 2023 N/A Chad Aldis
    Robert Gordon New Jersey New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional March 15, 2023 March 15, 2023 Christine Guhl-Sadovy
    Douglas La Follette Wisconsin Wisconsin Secretary of State Electiondot.png Democratic Personal March 17, 2023 January 4, 2027 Sarah Godlewski
    Robert Taylor Mississippi Mississippi Superintendent of Education Grey.png Nonpartisan Political March 29, 2023 N/A Raymond Morgigno (acting)
    Anthony Goins Nebraska Nebraska Director of Economic Development Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal April 5, 2023 N/A Joe Fox
    Dan French Vermont Vermont Secretary of Education Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal April 10, 2023 N/A Heather Bouchey (acting)
    Donna Trujillo New Mexico New Mexico State Controller Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal April 15, 2023 N/A Mark Melhoff (acting)
    Tremaine L. Phillips Michigan Michigan Public Service Commission Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional April 28, 2023 July 2, 2025 Alessandra Carreon
    Richard Eckstrom South Carolina South Carolina Comptroller General Ends.png Republican Personal April 30, 2023 N/A Brian Gaines (acting)
    Stefanie Krevda Indiana Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional April 30, 2023 April 1, 2026 Wesley Bennett
    Shemia Fagan Oregon Oregon Secretary of State Electiondot.png Democratic Political May 8, 2023 January 6, 2025 Cheryl Myers
    Ken Paxton Texas Texas Attorney General Ends.png Republican Political May 27, 2023 January 1, 2027 John Scott (acting)
    Dan Sullivan Alaska Alaska Regulatory Commission Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal May 31, 2023 March 1, 2025 John Espindola
    Chris Nicolopoulos New Hampshire New Hampshire Commissioner of Insurance Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal June 9, 2023 September 20, 2023 David Bettencourt
    Chad Aldis Iowa Iowa Director of Education Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal June 22, 2023 N/A McKenzie Snow
    Colt Gill Oregon Oregon Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal June 25, 2023 N/A Charlene Williams
    Katy Anthes Colorado Colorado Commissioner of Education Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal June 26, 2023 N/A Susana Cordova
    Marlene Caride New Jersey New Jersey Commissioner of Banking and Insurance Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional June 27, 2023 N/A Justin Zimmerman
    Dianne Solomon New Jersey New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional June 27, 2023 June 27, 2023 Marian Abdou
    David Roach West Virginia West Virginia Superintendent of Schools Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional June 30, 2023 N/A Michele Blatt
    Jason Stanek Maryland Maryland Public Service Commission Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional June 30, 2023 N/A Fred Hoover
    Odogwu Obi Linton Maryland Maryland Public Service Commission Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional June 30, 2023 N/A Bonnie Suchman
    Doug Fisher New Jersey New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal July 1, 2023 N/A Joe Atchison
    Penny Schwinn Tennessee Tennessee Commissioner of Education Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal July 1, 2023 N/A Lizzette Gonzalez Reynolds
    Mark Williams Georgia Georgia Commissioner of Natural Resources Grey.png Nonpartisan Professionall July 1, 2023 N/A Walter Rabon
    Joe Fox Nebraska Nebraska Director of Economic Development Grey.png Nonpartisan Political July 5, 2023 N/A K.C. Belitz
    John Scott Texas Attorney General of Texas Ends.png Republican Personal July 5, 2023 N/A Angela Colmenero
    Laurie Esau Montana Montana Commissioner of Labor and Industry Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal July 10, 2023 N/A John Elizandro (acting), Sarah Swanson
    Mark Lowery Arkansas Arkansas Treasurer Ends.png Republican Personal July 26, 2023 January 12, 2027 Larry Walther
    Sheila Oliver New Jersey Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey Electiondot.png Democratic Personal August 1, 2023 January 16, 2025 Tahesha Way
    Kay Coles James Virginia Virginia Secretary of State Ends.png Republican Professional August 29, 2023 February 8, 2024 Kelly Gee (R)
    Gladys Brown Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal August 30, 2023 April 1, 2028 Kimberly Barrow
    Shannon Lott Michigan Michigan Director of Natural Resources Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional September 5, 2023 January 16, 2025 Scott Bowen
    Joseph L. Fiordaliso New Jersey New Jersey Board of Public Utilities Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal September 6, 2023 March 4, 2025 N/A
    Brian Bingman Oklahoma Oklahoma Secretary of State Ends.png Republican Professional September 15, 2023 January 10, 2027 Josh Cockroft
    John Murante Nebraska Nebraska Treasurer Ends.png Republican Professional September 18, 2023 November 3, 2026 Tom Briese
    Mohammed Choudhury Maryland Maryland Superintendent of Schools Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal October 6, 2023 N/A Carey Wright
    Tera Klutz Indiana Indiana Comptroller of State Ends.png Republican Personal November 30, 2023 January 1, 2027 Elise Nieshalla
    Tracey Edwards New York New York Public Service Commission Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional November 3, 2023 N/A Uchenna Bright
    Beth Wood North Carolina North Carolina Auditor Electiondot.png Democratic Personal December 15, 2023 December 31, 2024 Jessica Holmes
    J.D. Strong Oklahoma Oklahoma Director of Wildlife Conservation Grey.png Nonpartisan Personal December 6, 2023 N/A Wade Free
    Sarah Cottrell Propst New Mexico New Mexico Secretary of Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Grey.png Nonpartisan Professional December 31, 2023 N/A Melanie Kenderdine

    See also

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Eyewitness News ABC 7, "Kathy Hochul becomes New York's first female governor as Cuomo exits," August 23, 2021
    2. ↑ The New York Times, "Gina Raimondo, the governor of Rhode Island, is confirmed as commerce secretary," March 2, 2021
    3. ↑ The Nevada Independent, "Director of Nevada’s swamped employment department says she’s leaving; health exchange director to take over," April 28, 2020
    4. ↑ The Columbus Dispatch, "Powerful Ohio utilities regulator steps down following FBI search of his home," November 20, 2020
    5. ↑ The Salt Lake Tribune, "Utah Board of Education loses another member – fourth in less than a year," December 7, 2019
    6. ↑ Alabama Political Reporter, "Ella Bell, longtime state school board member, has died," November 4, 2019
    7. ↑ Governing, "Just 6 Months After Appointment, New Mexico Education Secretary Fired," July 24, 2019
    8. ↑ Las Cruces Sun News, "Meet Ryan Stewart, New Mexico's new secretary of public education," August 19, 2019
    9. ↑ News 3 Las Vegas, "Chairwoman of Nevada Public Utilities Commission resigns," March 14, 2019
    10. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Secretary of State Dennis Richardson's Courageous Battle with Cancer Comes to a Close," February 27, 2019
    11. ↑ U.S. Army, "South Carolina's last elected adjutant general to retire," February 5, 2019
    12. ↑ APG Wisconsin, "Senate Republicans vote to fire Ag Secretary Brad Pfaff," November 7, 2019
    13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 The Texas Tribune, "Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos — the state's chief elections officer — stepping down," December 6, 2018 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "resign" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "resign" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "resign" defined multiple times with different content
    14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 ABC News, "GOP state senator appointed Missouri lieutenant governor." June 18, 2018 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "ltgov" defined multiple times with different content
    15. ↑ Associated Press, "Louisiana elections chief quits amid sexual misconduct claim," May 1, 2018
    16. ↑ The New York Times, "Eric Schneiderman, New York’s Attorney General, Resigns Amid Abuse Accusations," May 7, 2018
    17. ↑ News9.com, "Oklahoma Secretary Of State Dave Lopez To Resign At End Of Month,"" March 12, 2018
    18. ↑ KFOR, "Fallin appoints Dave Lopez as new secretary of state," March 20, 2017
    19. ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "State Rep. Gipson Named Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner," March 29, 2018
    20. ↑ KMCH, "Governor Appoints Mike Naig as Iowa’s New Secretary of Agriculture," March 1, 2018
    21. ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Colyer picks former congressional candidate as lieutenant governor, running mate," February 13, 2018
    22. ↑ Wyoming Tribune Eagle, "Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Murray resigns amid sexual misconduct allegations," February 10, 2018
    23. ↑ The Kansas City Star, "Gov. Brownback is finally leaving. Now, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer must pick up the pieces," January 24, 2018
    24. ↑ Note: Baldone is listed as a Democrat to reflect his registration at the time of his appointment. Baldone would later register as a Republican.
    25. ↑ Note: Baldone is listed as a Democrat to reflect his registration at the time of his appointment. Baldone would later register as a Republican.
    26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 The Washington Post, "Oklahoma labor commissioner fatally stabbed; adult son arrested for murder," August 24, 2014 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "death" defined multiple times with different content
    27. ↑ NBCNews, "Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Mark Costello Stabbed to Death Allegedly by Son," August 24, 2015
    28. ↑ The New York Times, "Police Say Thomas Schweich, Candidate for Missouri Governor, Killed Himself," February 26, 2015
    29. ↑ CBS St. Louis, "Gov. Nixon Appoints John Watson as Interim State Auditor," February 27, 2015
    30. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Gov. Brown Appoints Jeanne Atkins as Oregon Secretary of State," March 6, 2015
    31. ↑ The Washington Post, "Pennsylvania state treasurer quits, will plead guilty to campaign finance charges," January 30, 2015
    32. ↑ WITF, "Christopher Craig sworn-in after Treasurer McCord resigns," February 1, 2015
    33. ↑ Pennsylvania Treasury, "Timothy A. Reese confirmed as Treasurer, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," July 1, 2015
    34. ↑ New York Times, "Arkansas: Lieutenant Governor Quitting Under Pressure," January 10, 2014
    35. ↑ Arkansas Times, "Arkansas Lt. Gov. Mark Darr to resign Feb. 1, cites politics, family," January 10, 2014
    36. ↑ Omaha.com, "Heineman chooses Omaha Sen. John Nelson as lieutenant governor," accessed September 29, 2014
    37. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka dies at age 70," December 10, 2014
    38. ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Nebraska Lieutenant Governor Resigns," February 2, 2013
    39. ↑ Tia Mitchell, Miami Herald, "Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll resigns from post," March 13, 2013
    40. ↑ HJNews, "Utah Lt. Gov. to resign, cites financial needs," September 16, 2013
    41. ↑ NPR Ohio, "Ohio state superintendent Stan Heffner resigns amid ethics charges, attendance rigging investigation," August 4, 2012
    42. ↑ Idaho Press, "Idaho controller resigns, Woolf appointed," October 15, 2012
    Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=How_vacancies_are_filled_in_state_executive_offices&oldid=10408021"