Lieutenant Governor

The Lieutenant Governor’s Role

The lieutenant governor’s primary constitutional role is to succeed the governor should they be unable to perform their official duties. Similar to the vice president at the federal level, the lieutenant governor’s other significant duty is to preside over the Senate, where they can vote only in the event of a tie. As the second-highest officer of the executive branch, the lieutenant governor can be an important source of advice and assistance to the governor on policy and administration, but each lieutenant governor’s actual role depends upon the governor. The office is elected statewide and limited to two consecutive four-year terms.