The lieutenant governor is the second-highest-ranking government official in 45 of the 50 U.S. states and four of the five territories. In those states and territories, the lieutenant governor is the first in the line of succession in case of a vacancy in the office of governor (Note: in Massachusetts and West Virginia, the lieutenant governor only assumes powers and duties as acting governor, not succeeding to the governorship), while in the remaining states and territories another office holds that status. Currently, 26 states elect a lieutenant governor on a ticket with the governor, while 17 states elect a lieutenant governor separately. In West Virginia, the president of the Senate, as elected by the State Senators, serves as the state's lieutenant governor. In Tennessee, the State Senators elect a Speaker of the Senate, who in turn serves as lieutenant governor. Five states and one inhabited territory do not have a lieutenant governor.
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 limits) 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.
| State | Image | Name | Party | Prior Public Experience | Term Start | Term End | Selection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama (list) | Will Ainsworth | Republican | Alabama House | January 14, 2019 | 2027 | Separate election | |
| Alaska (list) | Nancy Dahlstrom | Republican | Commissioner of Alaska Department of Corrections Alaska House | December 5, 2022 | 2026 | Same ticket | |
| Arkansas (list) | Leslie Rutledge | Republican | Attorney General | January 10, 2023 | 2027 | Separate election | |
| California (list) | Eleni Kounalakis | Democratic | United States Ambassador to Hungary | January 7, 2019 | 2027 (term limits) | Separate election | |
| Colorado (list) | Dianne Primavera | Democratic | Colorado House | January 8, 2019 | 2027 | Same ticket | |
| Connecticut (list) | Susan Bysiewicz | Democratic | Secretary of the State of Connecticut Connecticut House | January 9, 2019 | 2027 | Same ticket in the general elections; Separate elections in the primaries | |
| Delaware (list) | Kyle Evans Gay | Democratic | Delaware Senate | January 21, 2025 | 2029 | Separate election | |
| Florida (list) | Jay Collins | Republican | Florida Senate | August 12, 2025 | 2027 | Same ticket | |
| Georgia (list) | Burt Jones | Republican | Georgia Senate | January 9, 2023 | 2027 | Separate election | |
| Hawaii (list) | Sylvia Luke | Democratic | Hawaii House | December 5, 2022 | 2026 | Same ticket in the general elections; Separate elections in the primaries | |
| Idaho (list) | Scott Bedke | Republican | Idaho House Speaker | January 2, 2023 | 2027 | Separate election | |
| Illinois (list) | Juliana Stratton | Democratic | Illinois House | January 14, 2019 | 2027 | Same ticket | |
| Indiana (list) | Micah Beckwith | Republican | Noblesville public library trustee | January 13, 2025 | 2029 | Same ticket in the general elections; Separately nominated at party conventions | |
| Iowa (list) | Chris Cournoyer | Republican | Iowa Senate | December 16, 2024 | 2027 | Same ticket | |
| Kansas (list) | David Toland | Democratic | State Secretary of Commerce | January 2, 2021 | 2027 | Same ticket | |
| Kentucky (list) | Jacqueline Coleman | Democratic | No prior offices | December 10, 2019 | 2027 (term limits) | Same ticket | |
| Louisiana (list) | Billy Nungesser | Republican | Plaquemines Parish President | January 11, 2016 | 2028 | Separate election | |
| Maryland (list) | Aruna Miller | Democratic | Maryland House of Delegates | January 18, 2023 | 2027 | Same ticket | |
| Massachusetts (list) | Kim Driscoll | Democratic | Mayor of Salem | January 5, 2023 | 2027 | Same ticket in the general elections; Separate elections in the primaries | |
| Michigan (list) | Garlin Gilchrist | Democratic | No prior offices | January 1, 2019 | 2027 (term limits) | Same ticket | |
| Minnesota (list) | Peggy Flanagan | Democratic (DFL) | Minnesota House | January 7, 2019 | 2027 | Same ticket | |
| Mississippi (list) | Delbert Hosemann | Republican | Mississippi Secretary of State | January 14, 2020 | 2028 (term limits) | Separate election | |
| Missouri (list) | David Wasinger | Republican | No prior offices | January 13, 2025 | 2029 | Separate election | |
| Montana (list) | Kristen Juras | Republican | No prior offices | January 4, 2021 | 2029 | Same ticket | |
| Nebraska (list) | Joe Kelly | Republican | United States Attorney for the District of Nebraska | January 5, 2023 | 2027 | Same ticket | |
| Nevada (list) | Stavros Anthony | Republican | Las Vegas City Council | January 2, 2023 | 2027 | Separate election | |
| New Jersey (list) | Tahesha Way | Democratic | Secretary of State Passaic County Freeholder | September 8, 2023 | 2026 | Same ticket | |
| New Mexico (list) | Howie Morales | Democratic | New Mexico Senate Grant County Clerk | January 1, 2019 | 2027 | Same ticket in the general elections; Separate elections in the primaries | |
| New York (list) | Antonio Delgado | Democratic | U.S. House | May 25, 2022 | 2026 | Same ticket in the general elections; Separate elections in the primaries | |
| North Carolina (list) | Rachel Hunt | Democratic | North Carolina Senate North Carolina House | January 1, 2025 | 2029 | Separate election | |
| North Dakota (list) | Michelle Strinden | Republican | North Dakota House | December 15, 2024 | 2028 | Same ticket | |
| Ohio (list) | Jim Tressel | Republican | No prior offices | February 14, 2025 | 2027 | Same ticket | |
| Oklahoma (list) | Matt Pinnell | Republican | Chair of the Oklahoma Republican Party | January 14, 2019 | 2027 | Separate election | |
| Pennsylvania (list) | Austin Davis | Democratic | Pennsylvania House | January 17, 2023 | 2027 | Same ticket in the general elections; Separate elections in the primaries | |
| Rhode Island (list) | Sabina Matos | Democratic | Providence City Council | April 14, 2021 | 2027 | Separate election | |
| South Carolina (list) | Pamela Evette | Republican | No prior offices | January 9, 2019 | 2027 | Same ticket | |
| South Dakota (list) | Tony Venhuizen | Republican | South Dakota House | January 30, 2025 | 2027 | Same ticket | |
| Tennessee (list) | Randy McNally | Republican | Tennessee Senate Tennessee House | January 10, 2017 | 2027 | State Senate | |
| Texas (list) | Dan Patrick | Republican | Texas Senate | January 20, 2015 | 2027 | Separate election | |
| Utah (list) | Deidre Henderson | Republican | Utah Senate | January 4, 2021 | 2029 | Same ticket | |
| Vermont (list) | John S. Rodgers | Republican | Vermont Senate Vermont House of Representatives | January 9, 2025 | 2027 | Separate election | |
| Virginia (list) | Winsome Earle-Sears | Republican | Virginia House of Delegates | January 15, 2022 | 2026 | Separate election | |
| Washington (list) | Denny Heck | Democratic | U.S. House Washington House | January 13, 2021 | 2029 | Separate election | |
| West Virginia (list) | Randy Smith | Republican | West Virginia House West Virginia Senate | January 8, 2025 | 2027 | State Senate | |
| Wisconsin (list) | Sara Rodriguez | Democratic | Wisconsin State Assembly | January 3, 2023 | 2027 | Same ticket in the general elections; Separate elections in the primaries |
List of lieutenant governors by territory
| Territory | Image | Lieutenant governor | Party | Prior public experience | Start of term | End of term | Chosen by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Samoa (list) | Pulu Ae Ae | Republican | American Samoa House of Representatives | January 3, 2025 | 2029 | Same ticket | |
| Guam (list) | Josh Tenorio | Democratic | No prior offices | January 7, 2019 | 2027 | Same ticket | |
| Northern Mariana Islands (list) | Dennis Mendiola | Republican | Northern Mariana Islands Senate | July 23, 2025 | 2027 | Same ticket | |
| U.S. Virgin Islands (list) | Tregenza Roach | Democratic | Legislature of the Virgin Islands | January 7, 2019 | 2027 | Same ticket |
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.
| State | Office | Image | Officeholder | Party | Prior public experience | Start of term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Secretary of State | Adrian Fontes | Democratic | County Recorder of Maricopa County | January 2, 2023 | |
| Maine | President of the Senate | Mattie Daughtry | Democratic | Maine Senate Maine House of Representatives | December 4, 2024 | |
| New Hampshire | President of the Senate | Sharon Carson | Republican | New Hampshire Senate New Hampshire House of Representatives | December 4, 2024 | |
| Oregon | Secretary of State | Tobias Read | Democratic | Oregon Treasurer Oregon House | January 6, 2025 | |
| Wyoming | Secretary of State | Chuck Gray | Republican | Wyoming House of Representatives | January 2, 2023 |
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, 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.
| Jurisdiction | Office | Image | Officeholder | Party | Prior public experience | Start of term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | Chairman of the Council | Phil Mendelson | Democratic | DC Councilman Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner | June 13, 2012 | |
| Puerto Rico | Secretary of State | Rosachely Rivera | New Progressive/ Democratic | Mayor of Gurabo | July 3, 2025 |
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 and territories, the designated successor to the governorship is of a different political party than the governor:
| State or territory | Governor | Designated successor |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Mariana Islands | Independent | Republican |
| Puerto Rico | Republican | Democratic |
See also
- List of current United States first spouses
- List of current United States governors
- List of current United States lieutenant governors by age
- List of female lieutenant governors in the United States
- List of minority governors and lieutenant governors in the United States
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