Party affiliation of current United States lieutenant governors

Party affiliation of current designated successors to the current United States governors

Methods for electing lieutenant governors

The lieutenant governor is the second-highest-ranking government official in 45 of the 50

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

s and four of the five

territories A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

. In those states and territories, it is the first in the line of succession in case of a vacancy in the office of

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 ...

(''note:'' in Massachusetts and West Virginia, the lieutenant governor succeeds 'only' as acting governor), while in the remaining states and territories another office holds that status. Currently, 26 states elect a lieutenant governor on a

ticket Ticket or tickets may refer to: Slips of paper * Lottery ticket * Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start) * Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a tol ...

with the

, while 17 states elect a lieutenant governor separately. In

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

, the president of the Senate, as elected by the State Senators, serves as the state's lieutenant governor. In

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, the State Senators elect a Speaker of the Senate, who in turn serves as lieutenant governor. Five states do not have a lieutenant governor. In the 50 states, District of Columbia, and 5 territories, there are currently 30 Republicans, 25 Democrats, and one member with the Puerto Rico New Progressive Party.

List of lieutenant governors by state

In the table below, "term ends" indicates the year the current lieutenant governor will leave office; a notation (

term limit A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms an officeholder may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in presidential and semi-presidential systems they act as a method of curbing the potenti ...

s) after the year indicates that the current lieutenant governor is ineligible to seek re-election in that year. A notation of (retiring) after the year indicates that the current lieutenant governor is leaving office that year, having not sought re-election. A notation of (defeated) indicates that the current lieutenant governor was defeated for re-election.

List of lieutenant governors by territory

States which do not have lieutenant governors

Five states do not have a position of an official lieutenant governor. In these cases, the secretary of state or the president of the Senate is next in line for the governorship.

Federal district and territories which do not have lieutenant governors or deputy mayors

One territory, Puerto Rico, places the secretary of state next in line for the governorship. In the

District of Columbia ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, 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.

States and territories with differing party membership at the executive level

In most states or territories, the governor and lieutenant governor are members of the same political party. In the following states, the designated successor to the governorship is of a different political party than the governor:

List of lieutenant governors-elect

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

Leslie Rutledge Leslie Carol Rutledge (born June 9, 1976) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Arkansas, served as the 56th attorney general of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023. She is the 21st lieutenant governor of Arkansas, since 2023. Rutledge ...

(R), .... January 10, 2023 *

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Burt Jones William Burton Jones (born April 25, 1979) is an American politician and businessman who is serving as the 13th lieutenant governor of Georgia, since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he has been a member of the Georgia State Senate, electe ...

(R), .... January 9, 2023 *

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Aruna Miller Aruna Miller (née Katragadda; November 6, 1964) is an American politician who is the lieutenant governor-elect of Maryland. Miller, a Democrat, is a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing Legislative District 15 in Mont ...

(D), .... January 18, 2023 *

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

Kim Driscoll Kimberley Layne Driscoll (born August 12, 1966) is an American politician and lawyer who has served as the 73rd lieutenant governor of Massachusetts since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Driscoll previously served as the 50th mayor of S ...

(D), .... January 5, 2023 *

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

: Joe Kelly (R), .... January 5, 2023 *

Northern Mariana Islands The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonw ...

: David M. Apatang (I), .... January 9, 2023 *

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

: Austin Davis (D), .... January 17, 2023 *

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

: David Zuckerman (P), .... January 5, 2023 *

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

Sara Rodriguez Sara Rodriguez (born July 25, 1975) is an American registered nurse, health care executive, and Democratic politician. She is the 46th and incumbent lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, having been elected on a ticket with Governor Tony Evers in ...

(D), .... January 3, 2023

Notes

References

{{USStateLists Lieutenant governors United States lieutenant governors