Lieutenant Governor Duties: What Do Lieutenant Governors Do?

A lieutenant governor is an elected official who serves in the executive branch of a state government. In most states, the office of the lieutenant governor is directly below that of the governor—much as the vice president is second to the president. Lieutenant governors are first in the line of succession for the governorship, and many serve as acting governors when the elected governor is out of state or incapacitated.

While the majority of US states have a lieutenant governor, New Hampshire, Wyoming, Arizona, Oregon, and Maine do not. In these states, the line of succession may run through the secretary of state, attorney general, or state treasurer. In Tennessee and West Virginia, the president of the state Senate also doubles as lieutenant governor.

In 26 states, a lieutenant governor and a governor run on the same statewide ticket. In most cases, this means that political parties—such as Democrats, Republicans, Greens, and Libertarians—first nominate a lieutenant governor to run in a general election. The nominee then picks a lieutenant governor as a running mate. New Jersey, Montana, Florida, Kentucky, Colorado, and a few other states employ this method.

Some states have governors and lieutenant governors run on the same ticket in the general election, but they run separately in the primary election. New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are among the states that use this system.

In 17 states, lieutenant governors run on a separate ballot from the governor in both the primary election and the general election. Virginia, California, and Texas are among the states that select their governors this way. In two states—West Virginia and Tennessee—the president of the state senate assigns the position. Five states have no lieutenant governor at all.

A lieutenant governor's official duties vary from state to state, depending upon the edicts of the state constitution:

• Ceremonial powers: In some states, the lieutenant governor only gains authority if the governor should leave office, either by serving as acting governor or by assuming the job outright.
• Significant authority: Other states place a great deal of authority in the office of lieutenant governor. In Texas, the lieutenant governor presides over the state senate and has more than 80 statutory duties.
• Boards and commissions: Often, lieutenant governors serve at the pleasure of a governor who nominates them to chair state boards or oversight commissions. A lieutenant governor’s tasks may include a particular sector of policy, such as healthcare, environmental protection, or economic development. A lieutenant governor may also lead outreach to specific communities, including racial groups, religious groups, and economically aligned communities.

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