Lt. Governor Races

[Mr. Paleoconservative]

While all of us have been paying great attention to the Gubernatorial, House, and Senate races, we have not had much time to discuss the not so glamorous races for Lt. Governor across the country.

Being from a state with no Lt. Governor (we have an elected Secretary of State who is first in the line of succession), I have always enjoyed studying the roles and campaigns of Lt. Gubernatorial candidates across the country.

Two races I have noticed to be particularly fascinating are in California (with  McClintock) and in Alabama (with George Wallace, Jr.).

I think McClintock has a 50/50 chance of victory, and do not have much information on the Wallace race, but he has been elected statewide on two separate occasions, and has a mix of populism in conservatism that the voters in Alabama just seem to eat up.

So, does your state, or any state for that matter, have a race for Lt. Governor that is of any interest?  Is the state the race is in a ticket or individual campaign?  Who are the players?  What are the stances?  What are the odds?

[Alcon]

We did that last year.  We vote on pretty much everything, even though our Lt. Governor does nothing.

[Mr. Paleoconservative]

We did that last year.  We vote on pretty much everything, even though our Lt. Governor does nothing.

Does he preside over the State Senate?  I'm assuming that he is next in line at least?

[Alcon]

We did that last year.  We vote on pretty much everything, even though our Lt. Governor does nothing.

Does he preside over the State Senate?  I'm assuming that he is next in line at least?

Yes, but it is a pretty useless job for $683,000 a year.

[adam]

I agree with that Healy guy in Rhode Island - they should just get rid of the posisiton all together. In most states, the man in paid roughly 600,000$ to wait for the real governor to die. Total waste.

[Mr. Paleoconservative]

We did that last year.  We vote on pretty much everything, even though our Lt. Governor does nothing.

Does he preside over the State Senate?  I'm assuming that he is next in line at least?

Yes, but it is a pretty useless job for $683,000 a year.

Is that salary for real???  Oregon's Governor makes below $90,000 (In Washington, if I am not mistaken, a Legislator makes more than that), and understanding the duties of the WA Lt. Governor, that pay kind of boggles the mind. 

[Alcon]

We did that last year.  We vote on pretty much everything, even though our Lt. Governor does nothing.

Does he preside over the State Senate?  I'm assuming that he is next in line at least?

Yes, but it is a pretty useless job for $683,000 a year.

Is that salary for real???  Oregon's Governor makes below $90,000 (In Washington, if I am not mistaken, a Legislator makes more than that), and understanding the duties of the WA Lt. Governor, that pay kind of boggles the mind. 

I think that is the annual cost to the state, including transportation and everything.  At least, I hope.

[TomC]

Our Lt Gov is elected by the State Senate from its membership. Since 1972, it has been John Wilder, a West Tennessee Democrat who has a reputation of reaching across the aisle and appointing some Republicans to head committees and such. In fact, that's generally how he remained Lt Gov this term despite a 17-16 lead by the GOP. But the state GOP here is quite on the heels of the Democrats, and this could definitely change next term. I don't want the GOP to take over, for many reasons buty mainly because they'd control appointments to all the county election commissions. But I'm quite happy to see Wilder go; he's a great argument for term limits.

[Sam Spade]

The Lt. Governor in Texas is more powerful than the Governor, actually.

Dewhurst (R) should win again this year quite easily.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I don't want the GOP to take over, for many reasons buty mainly because they'd control appointments to all the county election commissions.

God forbid we have fairness.

[TomC]

I don't want the GOP to take over, for many reasons buty mainly because they'd control appointments to all the county election commissions.

God forbid we have fairness.

If you weren't such a partisan, it'd be a good point.

[adam]

The Lt. Governor in Texas is more powerful than the Governor, actually.

How so?

(I don't disagree, I'm just curious)

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Actually the Lt. Governor's race is far more interesting at the moment than the Governor's race.  Thanks to the antics of the incumbent, Andre Bauer, he stands a decent chance of losing the primary, and if he wins he may lose in November.  The Treasurer's race is shaping up as the most expensive tho, with two people throwing their own money in large quanties hoping to get elected.  Secretary of State, Commissioner of Agriculture, and Superintendent of Education are all lively.  The three Generals: Adjutant General, Attorney General, and Comptroller General are boring as they have incumbents that will easily win in November, and none are facing any primary opposition.

[Bleeding heart conservative, HTMLdon]

I don't want the GOP to take over, for many reasons buty mainly because they'd control appointments to all the county election commissions.

God forbid we have fairness.

If you weren't such a partisan, it'd be a good point.

Isn't 200 years enough for you people?

All we want is a fair shot - for all of the eligible voters to be able vote and for all the ineligible voters not to vote.

[Nym90]

In, Michigan, the Governor and Lt. Governor candidates run together as a ticket, but the state party convention picks the running mate, not the Gubernatorial candidate themselves. John Cherry is almost certain to be Granholm's running mate once again; there are a few possibilities for Devos's running mate, but it's somewhat hard to predict who will be chosen.

[jimrtex]

The Lt. Governor in Texas is more powerful than the Governor, actually.

How so?

I think this is more of a traditional claim.

Texas has a fairly weak executive branch, with independently elected executive officials (Attorney General, Comptroller, Ag Commissioner, Land Commissioner, Railroad Commissioner, judges, etc.).  The governor doesn't get to act as commander-in-chief very often.

Ordinarily, the legislature only meets every two years, and the time of meeting is limited.  Traditionally, the Senate and the House have deferred to the Lieutenant Governor and House Speaker to control what legislation is considered.  The House Speaker is elected by the members, so he has to concede power to committee chairmen in order to get elected.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

In Minnesota, the candidates run on a ticket, including in the primary. There are three serious DFL candidates for Governor, (although Hatch is all but assured the nomination), and each one will choose a Lt. Gov. candidate and run with them in the primary. I don't know who each is likely to choose, nor do I care, because the Minnesota Lt. Governorship is an incredibly worthless position that less power than the Public Health Administrator of Pipestone County. They have basically no duties whatsoever, not even control over the Senate, who elects its own leadership. I don't even know the current Lt. Gov's name (only that she's a pro-choice woman). In its current form, I'd support abolishing the MN Lt. Governship, since it just serves as a way to give a meaningless job to political cronies or blatant tokenism (as is the current case)