2024 Lieutenant Governor Elections

States with Lieutenant Governor Elections in 2024

In November, lieutenant gubernatorial seats in nine states are up for election. Of the nine lieutenant gubernatorial seats up for election in 2024:

• Three seats are currently held by Democrats, and
• Six seats are currently held by Republicans. 

Four of the nine 2024 races will be independently elected, while five will run on a joint ticket with the gubernatorial candidate. The most interesting race here is North Carolina, where current Lt. Gov. Robinson (R) is running to replace term-limited Gov. Cooper (D) at the top of the ticket. State Sen. Rachel Hunt (D) and businessman Hal Weatherman (R) are vying to become the next lieutenant governor in North Carolina. Both have connections to previous administrations, as Weatherman is a former chief of staff to then-lieutenant governor Dan Forest (R) and Hunt is the daughter of the state’s longest-serving governor, Jim Hunt (D).

How Are Lieutenant Governors Selected?

Lieutenant governor is a statewide position, the second-highest in the executive branch, in 45 states. Of the 45 states with a lieutenant governor, 43 are elected to that position. The two exceptions are Tennessee and West Virginia, where the senate president serves as the lieutenant governor. Only 17 states elect a lieutenant governor independently, while 26 states elect the governor and lieutenant governor on a joint ticket (similar to how U.S President and Vice President run on a joint ticket and are not elected separately).

Seven states do not elect a lieutenant governor at all:

• The senate president serves as the lieutenant governor in Tennessee and West Virginia.
• Five states do not have a lieutenant governor position (Arizona, New Hampshire, Maine, Oregon, and Wyoming).

For instance, when Governor Kitzhaber (D) resigned from the Oregon governorship in 2015, Secretary of State Kate Brown (D) stepped in to take his place. Arizona does not currently have a lieutenant governor position, but voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2022 that will allow them to elect the state’s first lieutenant governor in 2026.

Pre-Election Lieutenant Governor Partisan Control

Pre-election, there are 20 Democratic lieutenant governors and 25 Republican lieutenant governors:

• Three of the 20 current Democratic lieutenant governors are up for election in 2024.
  
• Six of the 25 current Republican lieutenant governors are up for election in 2024.

Five states have no lieutenant governor position.

More MultiState 2024 State Election Resources

• 2024 State Elections Toolkit landing page