Who is Running for Minnesota Governor? (Lieutenant Governors 101)

After Vice President Kamala Harris’ own VP selection narrowed in on a handful of current governors, the political press was suddenly interested in gubernatorial succession. In most states, that means the lieutenant governor. In fact, some states designate the lieutenant governor as “acting governor” whenever the current governor leaves the state. For instance, that might have been an issue if North Carolina’s Gov. Cooper (D) was selected as Harris’ running mate and had to hit the campaign trail outside of North Carolina because that would place Lt. Governor Mark Robinson (R) in charge.

Of course, Vice President Harris ultimately chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) as her running mate. If the Harris-Walz ticket prevails this November, then Gov. Walz would have between the election and inauguration day to resign his position of Governor of Minnesota. The governorship would then pass to current Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D), who won that position on a joint ticket with Walz in 2022. And the Senate President, Sen. Bobby Joe Champion (D), would then become lieutenant governor.

So why did Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan run as a ticket, similar to a presidential campaign, while Gov. Cooper and Lt. Gov. Robinson represent different political parties? In 26 states, the lieutenant governor runs on the same ticket as the governor, ensuring that the two positions are from the same political party. Another 17 states elect a lieutenant governor independently. Minnesota elects its lieutenant governor as part of a joint ticket while North Carolina elects its lieutenant governor independently, allowing for potential mixed-party officeholders. 

Seven states do not elect a lieutenant governor at all, as the senate president serves as the lieutenant governor in Tennessee and West Virginia and five states do not have a lieutenant governor position. 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. 

Republicans currently hold 25 lieutenant governor seats, while Democrats control 20. In 2024, there are only nine lieutenant governor seats up for election. Four of those 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). 

An important historical note is that nearly half of the current lieutenant governors are women, which has helped lead to the current high mark of twelve women governors. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would become Minnesota’s first female governor if the Harris-Walz ticket prevails this November. 

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This article appeared in our Morning MultiState newsletter on August 13, 2024. For more timely insights like this, be sure to sign up for our Morning MultiState weekly morning tipsheet. We created Morning MultiState with state government affairs professionals in mind — sign up to receive the latest from our experts in your inbox every Tuesday morning. Click here to sign up.