In the United States, 43 of the 50 states have an office of lieutenant governor including two states in which the elected Speaker of the state Senate (Senator) serves in such a capacity. In most cases, the lieutenant governor is the highest officer of state after the governor, standing in for that officer when he or she is absent from the state or temporarily incapacitated. In the event a governor dies, resigns or is removed from office, the lieutenant governor typically becomes governor.
In 25 states, the governor and lieutenant governor are elected on the same ticket, ensuring that they come from the same political party. In the remaining 18 states, they are elected separately and, thus, may come from different parties. The lieutenant governor is also frequently the presiding officer of the upper house of the state legislature, similar to the Vice President of the United States. Among the seven states without a separate, full-time office of lieutenant governor, two states have a post of lieutenant governor that is filled by the highest officer of the state Senate. In Tennessee, the full title of the leader of the Senate is "Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Senate". In West Virginia, the title of Lieutenant Governor is assigned by statute to the Senate President. With the exception of Arkansas, California, Georgia, Idaho, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia, every state has had a female Lieutenant-Governor or equivalent - although Mona Pasquil briefly acted as Lieutenant-Governor of California between Abel Maldonado and John Garamendi.
In Maine and New Hampshire, the presiding officer of the State Senate assumes the governor's office upon a vacancy. In the remaining three states â€" Arizona, Oregon, and Wyoming â€" the Secretary of State becomes governor upon the office's vacancy.
The U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, and the Virgin Islands have the office of lieutenant governor. In the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, the appointed Secretary of State becomes governor upon the office's vacancy while the Chief of Staff is typically the highest office after the governor.
The positions are sometimes criticized for lacking duties and power and described by political insiders as "get up, read the paper, see if the governor is dead, if not, go back to sleep". In the 2010 election for the lieutenant governor of Rhode Island, 40% of the vote was won by a perennial candidate who wanted to abolish the office, saying "If you open up the dictionary to ‘sinecure,’ you have a picture of the lieutenant governor of Rhode island". There are some exceptions to this. Alaska, Hawaii, and Utah do not have a Secretary of State but the lieutenant governor does these duties instead. In New Jersey, the governor must appoint the lieutenant to head a cabinet-level department or administrative agency within the state government's executive branchâ€"but not to the post of state attorney general, the current holder, Kim Guadagno, serving as the Secretary of State. The Lieutenant Governor of Texas plays an active role as presiding officer of the State Senate and is often rumored to be more powerful than the state governor. The Lieutenant Governor of Virginia also serves as the President of the Senate.
New Jersey
In November 2005, New Jersey voters approved a constitutional amendment to create the office of Lieutenant Governor, which became effective with the 2009 general election. The state's first lieutenant governor took office in January 2010.
The position was created in response to the unusual circumstances surrounding the aftermath of the 2001 gubernatorial election. At the time Senate President Donald DiFrancesco was acting as governor following the resignation of Christine Todd Whitman earlier that year. DiFrancesco's term as Senate president expired one week before the governor-elect assumed office in January 2002, necessitating a special arrangement in which the party leaders of the incoming Senate switched off as acting governor (each serving a few days) until Jim McGreevey was sworn in. All told, five people had served as governor in the space of one year.
States and territories which do not have a lieutenant governor
Arizona
In Arizona, the secretary of state is the first in line to succeed the governor in the event of death, disability, resignation, or removal from office. The line of succession also includes the attorney general, state treasurer and superintendent of public instruction.
Maine
In Maine, if the governor suddenly leaves office, the immediate successor is the Senate President.
New Hampshire
Whenever the governor is unable to perform the duties of office, the Senate president serves as "acting governor".
Oregon
The gubernatorial line of succession is set forth in the state constitution, at Article V, Section 8a. It defines who may become or act as the Governor of Oregon upon the incapacity, death, resignation, or removal from office (by impeachment and subsequent removal or recall) of a sitting governor. The current chain of succession is: Secretary of State, State Treasurer, President of the State Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives. When a Governor leaves office, the next available person in the succession becomes Governor until the next general biennial election, when a Governor will be elected to either serve out the last two years of a regular term or a new four year term. See: Governor of Oregon#Line of succession. In 2007, legislation was proposed to establish an office of Lieutenant Governor.
Wyoming
In Wyoming, the secretary of state stands first in the line of succession.
District of Columbia
In the District of Columbia, the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia is first in line of succession in the event of a vacancy in the office of Mayor of the District of Columbia.
Puerto Rico
The highest-ranking officer after the governor of Puerto Rico is the Chief of Staff who is appointed by the governor himself rather than elected. In terms of line of succession, the Secretary of State of Puerto Rico acts as acting governor when the governor is temporarily disabled or unable to discharge his duties. If there is a permanent vacancy in the governorship, the Constitution of Puerto Rico establishes that the secretary becomes governor for the remainder of the term. The Secretary of State also serves as acting governor whenever the governor is temporarily not present in Puerto Rico, with territorial law also establishing a line of succession for when both the governor and the secretary are unable to perform their duties.
See also
- List of current United States lieutenant governors
- State constitutional officer (United States)
Footnotes
External links
- National Lieutenant Governors Association
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