The lieutenant governor of New York is a

constitutional A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these prin ...

office in the executive branch of the

Government of the State of New York The Government of the State of New York, headquartered at the New York State Capitol in Albany, New York, Albany, encompasses the administrative structure of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, as established by the New York State Co ...

. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

for a four-year term. Official duties dictated to the lieutenant governor under the present

New York Constitution The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constitut ...

are to serve as president of the

state senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

, serve as

acting governor An acting governor is a person who acts in the role of governor. In Commonwealth jurisdictions where the governor is a vice-regal position, the role of "acting governor" may be filled by a lieutenant governor (as in most Australian states) or an ...

in the absence of the governor from the state or the disability of the governor, or to become governor in the event of the governor's death, resignation or removal from office via impeachment. Additional statutory duties of the lieutenant governor are to serve on the

New York Court for the Trial of Impeachments The Court for the Trial of Impeachments, and the Correction of Errors was established by the New York State Constitution of 1777. It consisted then of the Lieutenant Governor of New York (who is ''ex officio'' President of the State Senate), the Cha ...

, the State Defense Council, and on the board of trustees of the

College of Environmental Science and Forestry The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is a Public university, public research university in Syracuse, New York focused on the environment and natural resources. It is part of the State University of ...

. The lieutenant governor of New York is the highest-paid lieutenant governor in the country. The office is currently held by

Antonio Delgado Antonio Ramon Delgado (born January 28, 1977) is an American attorney and politician serving as the lieutenant governor of New York since 2022. He previously served as the U.S. representative from New York's 19th congressional district. He is ...

, who was sworn in May 25, 2022. Most lieutenant governors take on other duties as assigned to them by the governor. For example,

Mary Donohue Mary O'Connor Donohue (born March 22, 1947) is an American retired educator, attorney, politician and Judge of the New York Court of Claims and a former two-term Lieutenant Governor of New York. Donohue was first elected Lieutenant Governor in ...

took on duties in the areas of small business, school violence, and

land-use planning Land use planning is the process of regulating the use of land by a central authority. Usually, this is done to promote more desirable social and environmental outcomes as well as a more efficient use of resources. More specifically, the goals ...

, along with serving as a surrogate speaker for the governor in upstate New York. Donohue's predecessor,

Betsy McCaughey Ross Elizabeth Helen McCaughey (; née Peterken; born October 20, 1948), formerly known as Betsy McCaughey Ross, is an American politician who was the Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1995 to 1998, during the first term of Governor George Pataki ...

, worked on Medicare and education policy, before her falling out with Governor

George Pataki George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. An attorney by profession, Pataki was elected mayor of his hometown of Peekskill, New York, and went on ...

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Stan Lundine, who served under Governor

Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo (, ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party, Cuomo previously served as ...

, was active on technology and housing issues during his two terms in office. While governor and lieutenant governor are elected by a single joint vote in the general election, they run separately in the primaries. In 1982, Mario Cuomo won the Democratic nomination for governor, but his running mate H. Carl McCall lost the lieutenant governor nomination to Alfred DelBello. DelBello was elected with Cuomo, but resigned in 1985, complaining that Cuomo did not give him anything to do. McCaughey Ross had been elected on a ticket with Pataki in 1994 but soon broke with him on state policy. He dropped her from his 1998 re-election ticket, and she became a Democrat and ran for governor on the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

ticket. Thirteen years before Hochul succeeded Cuomo as governor, Lieutenant Governor

David Paterson David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to December 2010. A ...

succeeded to the governorship in the same manner, when Eliot Spitzer resigned on March 17, 2008. Mario Cuomo was the last lieutenant governor to be elected governor.

Recent campaigns for lieutenant governor

1994 election

In the 1994 statewide election, Lt. Gov. Stan Lundine sought reelection on the Democratic ticket with Gov.

. Lieutenant Governor Lundine was unopposed for renomination on the Democratic ticket. In the Republican primary, academic

Betsy McCaughey Elizabeth Helen McCaughey (; née Peterken; born October 20, 1948), formerly known as Betsy McCaughey Ross, is an American politician who was the Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1995 to 1998, during the first term of Governor George Pataki ...

was the only candidate, as nominated by the Republican State Convention. Ms. McCaughey was selected as a running mate by State Sen.

. Pataki reportedly also considered sofa bed heiress

Bernadette Castro Bernadette Castro (born July 10, 1944 in Manhattan) is an American businesswoman and former New York politician who served in the Cabinet of former New York Governor George Pataki. She is a partner with her family in Castro Properties. In the e ...

and Assembly Minority Leader Clarence Rappalya as possible running mates as well. The Pataki/McCaughey ticket defeated the Cuomo/Lundine ticket in the general election.

1998 election

In 1997, following a falling out for most of their term, Gov. George Pataki dropped Lieutenant Governor

from the ticket. Pataki embarked on a year long process to select a new running mate for lieutenant governor. After reportedly considering State Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro, State Sen.

Mary Lou Rath Mary Lou Rath (née Schmitt) (born June 17, 1934) is an American politician who served as a member of New York State Senate from 1993 to 2008. A Republican, she represented the state's 61st district, which consisted of parts of Erie County and ...

and Erie County Comptroller Nancy Naples, Pataki nominated Judge

as his running mate. Judge Donohue was unopposed for the Republican nomination. Several candidates entered the race for the Democratic lieutenant governor nomination. State Sen. Anthony Nanula of Buffalo reportedly considered the race and then decided against running. Plattsburgh Mayor Clyde Rabideau, Brighton Town Supervisor

Sandra Frankel Sandra L. Frankel is the former Supervisor of the Town of Brighton, Monroe County, New York. A former Brighton school board member (6 years) and BOCES I Monroe Board of Education (10 years), Vice President of both, Frankel served for 20 years ...

, Buffalo Councilwoman Barbra Kavenugh, and attorney Charlie King of Rockland County announced their candidacies for the nomination. Councilwoman Kavanaugh withdrew from the race at the Democratic State Convention. Mayor Rabideau was selected as a running mate by New York City Council Speaker Peter Vallone and Supervisor Frankel was selected as a running mate by Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes during the state convention. Mr. King received enough support to qualify for the September primary ballot and continued his race. Lieutenant Governor McCaughey Ross, who was running for governor, reportedly considered Assemblyman Sam Hoyt as a running mate. As the Liberal Party nominee, Lieutenant Governor McCaughey Ross was paired with Jonathan Reiter as a running mate. Independence Party nominee

Tom Golisano Blase Thomas Golisano (born November 14, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of Paychex, which offers payroll and human resources services to businesses. Golisano owned Greenlight Networks, a fiber ...

ran with Laureen Oliver. The Green Party nominee actor Al Lewis ran with Alice Green. Supervisor Frankel won the Democratic lieutenant governor primary and was paired in the general election with Speaker Vallone. The Pataki/Donohue ticket defeated the Vallone/Frankel and the Golisano/Oliver tickets.

2002 election

Reports in early 2002 said that Governor Pataki was considered dropping Lieutenant Governor Donohue from the ticket and asking her to run for

New York State Attorney General The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York and head of the Department of Law of the state government. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government o ...

instead. The reports said he had considered New York Secretary of State

Randy Daniels Randy Daniels (born 1950) is an American businessman, politician, and journalist who served as Secretary of State of New York from 2001 to 2005. Daniels was appointed to the board of trustees of the State University of New York in 1997 and curre ...

and Erie County Executive

Joel Giambra Joel Giambra is an American politician from the State of New York. He is the former County Executive of Erie County, New York. Early life Giambra was born in Buffalo, New York in 1957 to a single mother, Shirley. He was raised in Buffalo by his ...

as replacement running mates, but eventually Lieutenant Governor Donohue would join Governor Pataki again on the Republican ticket. The Democratic field started with 1998 nominee Sandra Frankel, 1998 candidate Charlie King, businessman Dennis Mehiel, Westchester County Legislature Chairman George Latimer and former New York City Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jane Steiner Hoffman. Commissioner Hoffman dropped out of the race for medical reasons, and both Latimer and Frankel dropped out for party unity. State Comptroller

Carl McCall Herman Carl McCall (born October 17, 1935) is an American politician of the Democratic Party. A former New York State Comptroller and New York State Senator, McCall was the Democratic candidate for Governor of New York in 2002. McCall was the ...

selected Mr. Mehiel as his running mate and former HUD Secretary

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cu ...

selected Mr. King as a running mate. A week before the September primary, Secretary Cuomo and Mr. King withdrew from their primaries and endorsed the McCall and Mehiel ticket. The Independence Party had a contested primary battle for lieutenant governor. Lieutenant Governor Donohue faced an Independence Party member aligned with gubernatorial candidate Tom Golisano in the primary, but won the primary, while Governor Pataki lost the Independence primary for governor to Golisano. This made Donohue the running mate for both Pataki and Golisano in November. The

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

nominated Jennifer Daniels for lieutenant governor on a ticket with Stanley Aronowitz. The Pataki/Donohue ticket defeated the McCall and Mehiel and the Golisano and Donohue tickets in November.

2006 election

Lieutenant Governor Donohue announced that she would not run for a third term in 2006. The race to succeed her drew eight major party candidates. State Senate Minority Leader

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

won the Democratic nomination.

Rockland County Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of t ...

Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef won the Republican nomination. The Green Party candidate was Alison Duncan. Former candidates for the Democratic lieutenant governor nomination were attorney Leecia Eve of Buffalo, Assemblyman

Thomas DiNapoli Thomas Peter DiNapoli II (born February 10, 1954) is an American politician serving as the 54th and current New York State Comptroller since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, he was previously the New York State Assemblyman for the 16th dis ...

of Nassau County, Doctor Jon Cohen of Nassau County and Wappinger Town Supervisor Joseph Ruggiero of

Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later or ...

. Former candidates for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor were New York Secretary of State Christopher Jacobs of Buffalo, Town Supervisor Tim Demler of Wheatfield, and former State Senator

Nancy Larraine Hoffmann Nancy Larraine Hoffmann (born September 22, 1947, Needham, Massachusetts) is a Republican former New York State Senator from central New York. Career Hoffmann was a member of the Syracuse, New York City Council. She was first elected to the New ...

of Madison County. The Spitzer/Paterson ticket defeated the Faso/Vanderhoef ticket in the election for Governor and Lieutenant Governor on November 7.

2008 vacancy and 2009 appointment

After Lieutenant Governor

succeeded to the governorship of New York after Eliot Spitzer

resigned Resignation is the formal act of leaving or quitting one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or choos ...

on March 17, 2008, the office of lieutenant governor became vacant. The duties of lieutenant governor were then performed successively by Temporary Presidents of the State Senate

Joseph Bruno Joseph Louis Bruno (April 8, 1929 – October 6, 2020) was an American businessman and Republican politician from upstate New York. Bruno served in the New York State Senate from 1977 to 2008 and was Senate Majority Leader from 1994 to 2008. Br ...

Dean Skelos Dean George Skelos (born February 16, 1948) is an American former politician from Long Island, New York. A Republican, Skelos served in the New York State Assembly and later represented the Ninth District in the New York State Senate from 1985 t ...

, Malcolm Smith and, during the 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis, Pedro Espada Jr. On July 8, 2009, before the recapture of senate control by the Democrats, Governor Paterson appointed

Richard Ravitch Richard Ravitch (born July 7, 1933) is an American politician and businessman who served as Lieutenant Governor of New York from 2009 to 2010. He was appointed to the position in July 2009 by New York Governor David Paterson. A native of New Yo ...

to the position of lieutenant governor to resolve the month-long political stalemate in the state senate. However, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo warned Paterson before Ravitch's selection that such an appointment would be unconstitutional. Litigation concerning the appointment's constitutionality was filed in New York State's courts by the Republican Senate caucus on July 9. A preliminary ruling by Justice William R. LaMarca on July 21 upheld AG Cuomo. On August 20, a four-judge panel of the Appellate Division (2nd Dept.) rejected unanimously the appointment. However, on September 22, in a "stunning reversal," the New York Court of Appeals, ruled in a 4-3 decision that Paterson's appointment was constitutional.

2021 vacancy and appointment

Upon the resignation of Governor

in August 2021, Lt. Governor

Kathy Hochul Kathleen Hochul ( ; née Courtney; born August 27, 1958) is an American politician serving as the 57th governor of New York since August 24, 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she is New York's first female governor, as well as the first ...

succeeded him, with

Andrea Stewart-Cousins Andrea Alice Stewart-Cousins (née Stewart; born September 2, 1950) is an American politician and educator from Yonkers, New York. A member of the Democratic Party, Stewart-Cousins has represented District 35 in the New York State Senate since ...

becoming acting lieutenant governor. Hochul then picked State Senator

Brian Benjamin Brian A. Benjamin is an American politician and businessman who was lieutenant governor of New York from September 2021 until his resignation on April 12, 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the 30th district in th ...

for lieutenant governor, a position he filled on September 9, 2021.

2022 vacancy and appointment

Upon the resignation of Lt. Governor

on April 12, 2022 due to federal corruption charges, Andrea Stewart-Cousins became acting lieutenant governor for the second time. Governor Hochul later appointed

to fill the vacancy and was sworn in on May 25, 2022.

List of lieutenant governors

Living former lieutenant governors

, there are nine living former lieutenant governors of New York. The list includes lieutenant governors who later became governors. The most recent and most recently serving lieutenant governor to die was Alfred DelBello (served from 1983–1985, born 1934) on May 15, 2015.

References

External links

Office of the Lieutenant Governor
{{NYStateOfficers