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    Lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2016

    From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 27 min

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    Nine states held lieutenant gubernatorial elections on November 8, 2016.

    HIGHLIGHTS
  • In recent years, the role of lieutenant governor has become increasingly important in state governments and the office is often regarded as a stepping stone to more powerful positions.
  • In states with strong lieutenant governorships, the officeholder can play a pivotal role in passing legislation through the state senate.
  • Four states in the 2016 election cycle elected their governor and lieutenant governor on a single ticket.
  • One seat changed party hands in 2016—Democrats picked up the lieutenant governorship in Vermont after an open election.

    • Overview[edit]

    In the United States, the office of lieutenant governor is the second-highest state executive office. The main duty of the lieutenant governor is to succeed the governor in the event he or she is temporarily absent from office, dies, resigns or is removed in trial by the legislative branch. Lieutenant governors also often serve on key task forces and, in some states, are influential figures in the state senate. Click here to learn more about the duties of a lieutenant governor.

    Nine states held elections for lieutenant governor in 2016, including four states in which the position is elected on a joint ticket with the governor: Indiana, Montana, North Dakota and Utah. In all four of those states, the party of the winning ticket determined the trifecta status of the state. None of those states experienced a change in partisan control of the governorship or lieutenant governorship. One lieutenant governorship changed party hands in 2016—Democrat Bethany Hall-Long won Vermont's seat after incumbent Phillip Scott (R) declined to seek re-election.

    Voter turnout is generally higher during presidential election years and elections across the country tend to favor the party of the winning presidential candidate.

    Click on a state flag to jump to election details:

    Partisan analysis[edit]

    Party control[edit]

    The chart below is a breakdown of the political parties pertaining to the state executive office of lieutenant governor. For other state executive offices, click here.

    Partisan Breakdown: Lieutenant Governors
    Party As of November 2016 After the 2016 Election
         Democratic Party 13 14
         Republican Party 32 31
    Total 45 45

    The partisan breakdown of lieutenant governors remained largely unchanged after the 2014 elections, with Republicans gaining two seats. Heading into the 2016 elections, Republicans held six of the nine seats up for election; Democrats held two.[1] Both parties were therefore at equal relative risk of gaining or losing partisan dominance over lieutenant governorships this election year. Only one lieutenant governorship changed party hands in 2016—Democrat Bethany Hall-Long won Vermont's seat after incumbent Phillip Scott (R) declined to seek re-election.

    Trifecta gains and losses[edit]

    In states where the governor and lieutenant governor are elected together on a single ticket, the party of the winning ticket determined the trifecta status of the state. In the 2016 elections, Indiana, Utah, Montana and North Dakota elected their governors and lieutenant governors on a single ticket. Republicans have trifecta control in Indiana, North Dakota and Utah. If Republicans had lost the governorship in those states, the trifecta would have broken. Montana had a split government with a Democratic governor and a Republican-majority legislature. If Republicans had won the joint ticket in 2016, they would have gained trifecta control. None of the joint ticket states experienced a change in partisan control after the 2016 elections.

    Influence of voter turnout[edit]

    Lieutenant governor elections across the country coincided with what was a highly competitive presidential election, which drove up voter turnout.[2] This increased turnout during presidential election years can significantly affect the partisan balance of state governments. In particular, offices elected during mid-presidential term elections disadvantage the party of the current president, a trend that has remained relatively constant since the Civil War. Presidential election years see aggregate gains for the party of the winning presidential candidate.[3][2]

    Thirty states held lieutenant governor elections in 2014, equal to 70 percent of the 43 states in which the position is popularly elected. That same year, voter turnout was the lowest recorded since 1942.[4] Voter turnout has dropped during mid-presidential term elections since the 1840s.[3] This means a large majority of lieutenant governors are elected during these midterm cycles that see significantly lower turnout.

    Elections by state[edit]

    Delaware[edit]

    Main article: Delaware Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2016

    Indiana[edit]

    Main article: Indiana Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2016

    Missouri[edit]

    Main article: Missouri Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2016

    Montana[edit]

    Main article: Montana Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2016

    North Carolina[edit]

    Main article: North Carolina Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2016

    North Dakota[edit]

    Main article: North Dakota Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2016

    Utah[edit]

    Main article: Utah Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2016

    Vermont[edit]

    Main article: Vermont Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2016

    Washington[edit]

    Main article: Washington Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2016

    About the office[edit]

    In the United States, the office of lieutenant governor is the second-highest executive office in a state and is nominally subordinate to the governor. In the U.S., the main duty of the lieutenant governor is to act as governor should the governor be temporarily absent from the office. In addition, the lieutenant governor generally succeeds a governor who dies, resigns or is removed in trial by the legislative branch. In most states, the lieutenant governor then becomes governor, with the title and its associated salary, office, and privileges. In a few states, like Massachusetts, the lieutenant governor instead becomes "acting governor" until the next election.

    Other than this primary constitutional duty, most state constitutions do not prescribe the duties of the lieutenant governor in detail.

    In Alaska, Hawaii, New Jersey and Utah, the position of lieutenant governor is equivalent to that of secretary of state. In Tennessee and West Virginia, the President of the Senate also serves as lieutenant governor.

    Powers and duties of the office[edit]

    Though the office of lieutenant governor has historically been weak, recent years have seen a greater number of duties assigned to the position. Many lieutenant governors oversee their state's homeland security and are also often appointed to lead special task forces charged with investigating and recommending key policy decisions in areas such as healthcare, workforce development and drug addiction.[30] Perhaps most importantly, the lieutenant governor presides over the state senate ex-officio in 25 states and often casts the deciding vote in the event of a tie.[31][32]

    Texas, for example, has one of the strongest lieutenant governorships in the country which, as The Texas Observer points out, is arguably more powerful than the governorship.[33] The Lieutenant Governor of Texas has extensive powers within the State Senate, including the appointment of committee chairs and the direction of bills through those committees and onto the Senate floor for a vote.[34]

    However, these constitutionally granted powers are vague and the extent to which a lieutenant governor participates in the senate has frequently been challenged in court with varying results. For example, in the 1907 case Kelley v. Secretary of State, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the lieutenant governor, as an unofficial member of the senate, could not cast a tie-breaking vote despite a constitutional provision stating otherwise; Kentucky's Supreme Court ruled the exact opposite in 1930. [35][36] Some states have enacted legislation weakening the power of the lieutenant governor in the state senate, granting the senate power to overrule him or her, or establishing more detailed procedures in the event of a tie vote.[31][37]

    Lieutenant governorships are also frequently regarded as a stepping stone to higher offices, particularly the governor's office. Additionally, recent years have seen lieutenant governors vacating their seats in favor of assuming more powerful policy positions at universities or on national task forces.[30]

    Elected or appointed[edit]

    43 states directly elect Lt. Governors. Only two states - Tennessee and West Virginia - do not.

    Only two states do not have direct elections for lieutenant governor - Tennessee and West Virginia. In both states, whomever is elected the President of the State Senate is the de facto lieutenant governor. In Tennessee, the full title of this individual is, "Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the Senate." In West Virginia, recent legislation allows the Senate President to use the title, "lieutenant governor." Prior to that change, West Virginia did not have a lieutenant governor.

    Of the 43 states that elect lieutenant governors, there are three methods by which officeholders are chosen:

    Success running for governor[edit]

    An April 2013 Governing article looked at how lieutenant governors have performed in gubernatorial elections in recent history. According to the article, lieutenant governors made 55 attempts on the governor's office since the early 1990s. Of these 55 attempts, 17 won and 38 lost—a success rate of 31 percent.[38]

    Governing's research covered about 25 years of electoral history. In that timeframe, Democratic lieutenant governors ran 37 times and Republican lieutenant governors ran 17 times, while only Independent lieutenant governor made a bid. Democratic lieutenant governors performed slightly better than their Republican counterparts overall, winning 35 percent of their gubernatorial contests, compared with 24 percent of Republicans. Those who ran unsuccessfully for governor often had difficulty recovering afterward. As the article notes, most of the losing lieutenant governors never won high office again.[38]

    Virginia's lieutenant governors stood out for their relatively strong record of success. Since 1977, incumbent lieutenant governors in Virginia sought the governorship nine times and won four of them. In Virginia, governors are not allowed to serve two consecutive terms in office. This provides lieutenant governors with an advantage. University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato explained the situation, stating, "It's a part-time, poorly paid post whose occupants mainly spend their time running for governor." And due to Virginia's system, Sabato added, "being seen as in the wings is a big plus."[38]

    Past elections[edit]

    2015[edit]

    See also: State executive official elections, 2015

    Three states were holding scheduled elections for lieutenant governor: Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi.


    Recent news[edit]

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Lieutenant gubernatorial election' OR 'Lieutenant governor election' 2016. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    Lieutenant gubernatorial elections, 2016 - Google News

    Voter turnout[edit]

    Political scientist Michael McDonald's United States Elections Project studied voter turnout in the 2014 election by looking at the percentage of eligible voters who headed to the polls. McDonald used voting-eligible population (VEP), or the number of eligible voters independent of their current registration status, to calculate turnout rates in each state on November 4. He also incorporated ballots cast for the highest office in each state into his calculation. He estimated that 81,687,059 ballots were cast in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, representing 35.9 percent of the VEP.[39] By comparison, 61.6 percent of VEP voted in the 2008 presidential election and 58.2 percent of VEP voted in the 2012 presidential election.[40]

    Quick facts

    • According to PBS Newshour, voter turnout in the 2014 midterms was the lowest since the 1942 midterms, which took place during the nation's involvement in World War II.[41]
    • Forty-three states and the District of Columbia did not surpass 50 percent turnout in McDonald's analysis.
    • The three states with the lowest turnout according to McDonald's analysis were Texas (28.3 percent), Tennessee (28.6 percent), and Indiana (28.8 percent).
    • Maine (58.5 percent), Wisconsin (56.5 percent), and Colorado (54.5 percent) were the three states with the highest turnout.
    • Twelve states increased voter turnout in 2014 compared to the 2010 midterm elections.[42]

    Note: Information from the United States Elections Project was last updated on December 16, 2014.

    See also[edit]

    Lieutenant Governor State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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    Lieutenant Governors
    State Executive Offices
    State Executive Officials
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    State Executives Compensation

    External links[edit]

    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ The office of lieutenant governor in Delaware was vacant. The previous officeholder was Democrat Matthew Penn, who left office on January 6, 2015
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Campbell, J. E. (1987) "The revised theory of surge and decline." American Journal of Political Science, 965-979.
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pew Research Center, “Voter turnout always drops off for midterm elections, but why?” July 24, 2014
    4. ↑ TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
    5. ↑ The Indy Channel, "Longtime Bayh aide Tom Sugar exploring run for governor," accessed August 28, 2015
    6. ↑ IndyStar, "Democrat Tom Sugar will not run for Indiana governor," September 21, 2015
    7. ↑ The Indy Star, "State Sen. Karen Tallian drops out of governor’s race," accessed August 28, 2015
    8. ↑ The Indy Channel, "ITW: Gregg-Ritz duo sets sights on Gov. Mike Pence," accessed August 28, 2015
    9. ↑ The Indy Star, "Bill Oesterle's midlife crusade," accessed August 28, 2015
    10. ↑ Indianapolis Business Journal, "Oesterle starts PAC to counter social conservatives," December 7, 2015
    11. ↑ This information was provided to Ballotpedia by the Elections Division in the Indiana secretary of state's office.
    12. ↑ Auburnpub.com, "Indiana GOP governor candidate picks auditor as running mate," July 29, 2016
    13. ↑ Missouri Secretary of State, "Unofficial candidate filing list," accessed April 2, 2016
    14. ↑ The Missouri Times, "January 28, 2016
    15. ↑ Facebook, "Missouri Lt. Governor Race, elect Mary Bower," accessed August 25, 2015
    16. ↑ Bozeman Daily Chronicle, "AG Tim Fox files paperwork for re-election in 2016," accessed August 28, 2015
    17. ↑ Holly Jones for Lieutenant Governor, "Campaign Home," accessed August 26, 2015
    18. ↑ Ron Newton: Candidate for Lt. Governor, "Ron Newton announces candidacy for lieutenant governor 2016," accessed December 22, 2015
    19. ↑ Robert Wilson for Lieutenant Governor, "Campaign Home," accessed August 26, 2015
    20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Brian Irving, Libertarian Party of North Carolina, "18 Libertarians on November ballot," December 22, 2015
    21. ↑ John Hageman, Forum News Service, "Becker, a candidate for North Dakota governor, argues for small role for government," November 14, 2015
    22. ↑ Star Tribune, "North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple says he won't seek re-election in 2016, cites family," August 24, 2015
    23. ↑ RedState, "North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple’s retirement puts Sen. Heidi Heitkamp in quite the pickle," August 25, 2015
    24. ↑ Valley News Live, "North Dakota Lt. Governor Drew Wrigley says he will not run for governor after admitting affair," September 28, 2015
    25. ↑ Pat Bradley, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, "Vermont's political campaigns gear up for 2016," December 31, 2015
    26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Peter Hirschfeld, Vermont Public Radio, "Garrett Graff registers as candidate, but says still undecided on bid for lt. gov.," December 28, 2015
    27. ↑ Riker for Vermont, "Meet Brandon," accessed August 24, 2015
    28. ↑ The Columbian, "Moeller running for lieutenant governor," October 19, 2015
    29. ↑ The Cascadia Advocate, "Washington’s Democratic Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen files to run for reelection," accessed September 27, 2015
    30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Governing, "Lieutenant Governors: On the Rise and Out the Door," March 2016
    31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 National Conference of State Legislatures, "In Case of a Tie...," accessed March 20, 2016
    32. ↑ Ex-officio: by virtue of office
    33. ↑ The Texas Observer, "Who Runs Texas?" July 30, 2010
    34. ↑ KUT.org, "Why is the Lieutenant Governor the Most Powerful Office in Texas? And Who Wants That Power?" October 16, 2014
    35. ↑ The Michigan Supreme Court decision was overturned in 1978
    36. ↑ Leagle, "Advisory opinion on 1978 PA 426," accessed March 21, 2016
    37. ↑ Leagle, "State v. Highway Patrol Board (1962), accessed March 20, 2016
    38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 Governing, "How Successful Are Lieutenant Governors Seeking the Governorship?" April 12, 2013
    39. ↑ United States Elections Project, "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates," November 7, 2014
    40. ↑ TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
    41. ↑ PBS, "2014 midterm election turnout lowest in 70 years," November 10, 2014
    42. ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Midterm Turnout Down in 2014," November 5, 2014
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