Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
Template:Short description Template:Good article Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox official post The lieutenant governor of North Carolina is the second-highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. A member of the North Carolina Council of State, the lieutenant governor serves a four-year term with a two consecutive term limit. The current lieutenant governor is Rachel Hunt, a Democrat, who has held the office since 2025. The Constitution of North Carolina designates the lieutenant governor the ex officio president of the State Senate and a member of the State Board of Education. They are also required to serve as acting governor of the state in the event of the governor's absence, and assume the governorship in the event it becomes vacant.
Five lieutenant governors have succeeded to the governorship throughout the office's history due to a vacancy. The constitution allows the governor and General Assembly to assign the lieutenant governor additional duties, and the lieutenant governor has thus been accorded membership on and responsibility for several appointments on other state boards. Unlike other Council of State offices, there is no mechanism to fill a vacancy in the lieutenant governorship between elections. From its creation in 1868 up until the 1970s, the lieutenant governorship was a single-term, part-time position largely confined to legislative duties when the General Assembly was in session. Most of the candidates who sought the office were veteran legislators seeking a final prestigious accomplishment for their careers. In 1971, new legislation declared it a full-time job.
In 1972, the Democratic-controlled General Assembly expanded the office's resources to challenge the incoming Republican governor. In 1977, the lieutenant governor was constitutionally authorized to serve two consecutive terms. The office's political prominence increased over the years following the succession amendment and the legislature continued to expand its powers. Upon a Republican's assumption of lieutenant gubernatorial office in 1989, Democrats in the Senate modified the body's rules, stripping the office of its long-standing powers to appoint committees in that house and assign bills to those committees. With the shift away from legislative duties, the office became increasingly used as a means to enhance its incumbents' bids for higher office; lieutenant governors have often run for governor, but few have been successful.
The most recent Lieutenant Governor to pass away was Robert B. Jordan at age 87 in 2020
The oldest living former Lieutenant Governor is Jim Gardner at age 92
History
Under North Carolina's first constitution in 1776, the state's executive authority was exercised by the governor.<ref name= kickler/> It accorded the duty of presiding over the North Carolina Senate to a speaker of the Senate, who was also to act as governor in case that office became vacant.Template:Sfn The office of lieutenant governor was created by the state's 1868 constitution.Template:Sfn The lieutenant governor—who was to be chosen by popular election—replaced the speaker of the Senate as that body's presiding officer and assumed the former office's role in succeeding to the governorship in the event it became vacant.Template:Sfn Furthermore, the constitution made the official an ex officio member of the newly created State Board of Education.Template:Sfn
From 1868 until 1970, presiding over the Senate was the lieutenant governor's primary role, and in that capacity they appointed senators to committees (a power accorded to them by Senate rulesTemplate:Sfn) and oversaw the passage of legislation.Template:Efn The job was a part-time position, since the lieutenant governor served only when the General Assembly was in session or in the absence of the governor.Template:Sfn What other functions they performed were largely ceremonial, and the office attracted little public attention.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn From 1943 to 1954, by informal arrangement, the official chaired the State Board of Education.Template:Sfn Constitutional revisions which took effect in 1971 made the lieutenant governor a member of the Council of State.Template:Sfn The Executive Reorganization Act of 1971 affirmed the role of lieutenant governor as a full-time job.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> With the election of James Holshouser as governor in 1972—the first Republican to win the office in decades—the Democratic majority in the General Assembly was compelled to raise the stature of the office of the lieutenant governor, which was held by Democrat Jim Hunt. It raised the job's salary from $5,000 to $30,000 per year, increased the office operating budget, and expanded its staff from two to five.Template:Sfn
From 1868 to 1977, the lieutenant governor and the governor were limited to standalone four-year terms. In 1977, the state constitution was amended to allow both the governor and the lieutenant governor to serve two consecutive terms.<ref name= about>Template:Cite web</ref> James C. Green, who served from 1977 to 1985, was the first lieutenant governor to serve consecutive terms.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn The office's political prominence increased over the years following the succession amendment and the legislature continued to expand its powers.Template:Sfn Green led the Senate in an effort at the onset of his term to make the lieutenant governor the ex officio chair of the State Board of Education by law, directly challenging the authority of Hunt, who had since become governor and was responsible for recommending the board's chair. The proposal was ultimately defeated in the House of Representatives.Template:Sfn
Despite this, the legislature granted the lieutenant governor automatic membership on several state boards and significant appointment responsibilities.Template:Sfn By 1982, North Carolina had one of the most powerful lieutenant governorships in the country.Template:Sfn By 1989, the lieutenant governor was responsible for 195 appointments to 87 state boards (106 of these were subject to legislative confirmation).Template:Sfn Despite this, the officials experienced mistrust from the Senate and faced several unsuccessful attempts to strip them of their appointive powers.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn From 1985 to 1989, Democrat Robert B. Jordan served as lieutenant governor while Republican James G. Martin served as governor, making him the de facto leader of the North Carolina Democratic Party.Template:Sfn Upon Republican Jim Gardner's assumption of lieutenant gubernatorial office in 1989, Democrats in the Senate modified the body's rules, stripping the office of its powers to appoint committees in that house and assign bills to its committees.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn During Gardner's tenure, the office's staff was further expanded.Template:Sfn In 1997 the General Assembly debated modifying the constitution to provide for the election of the lieutenant governor on a joint ticket with the governor or to have the office assume the responsibilities of the North Carolina Secretary of State, but these proposals did not move forward.Template:Sfn Another effort in 2015 to amend the constitution to provide for the office's joint ticket election with the governor failed.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Three lieutenant governors assumed the office of governor upon the death of the incumbent: Curtis H. Brogden in 1874, Thomas M. Holt in 1891, and Luther H. Hodges in 1954. Tod R. Caldwell in 1870 assumed the office upon the previous governor's impeachment and removal, and Thomas J. Jarvis assumed it in 1879 upon the incumbent's resignation.Template:Sfn Historically, the lieutenant governorship was often sought by veteran state legislators as a final prestigious accomplishment for their careers. With the shift away from legislative duties after the 1970s, the office became increasingly used as a means to enhance incumbents' bids for higher office;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Sfn lieutenant governors have often run for governor, but few have been successful.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Sfn<ref name= kickler>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Bev Perdue was the first woman to serve as lieutenant governor,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> while Mark Robinson, sworn in in 2021, was the first black person to ever be elected to the office.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name= wxii>Template:Cite web</ref> The incumbent, Rachel Hunt, was sworn in on January 1, 2025.<ref name= AP1>Template:Cite web</ref>
Election
As with other state officials, only qualified voters in North Carolina are eligible to be elected lieutenant governor. Unlike most other candidates, who must be at least 21 years of age, any potential lieutenant governor—like the governor—must be at least 30 years of age.Template:Sfn They must also have been a citizen of the United States for at least five years and a resident of North Carolina for at least two years preceding election. Like the governor, the lieutenant governor is elected every four years thereafter, but is elected on their own ticket.Template:Sfn Contested elections for the office of lieutenant governor are resolved by a majority vote of the General Assembly.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Their term of office begins on January 1 following their election.Template:Sfn They serve for a four-year term and until their successor has assumed office.Template:Sfn The lieutenant governor is limited to serving two consecutive terms in office, with no limits on nonconsecutive terms.Template:Sfn
Powers, duties, and structure
The lieutenant governor is the only officer in North Carolina vested with responsibilities in both the executive and legislative branches of state government.Template:Sfn The constitution designates the lieutenant governor the President of the Senate.Template:Sfn In this capacity they direct the debate on bills and maintain order in that house,Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but have little influence over its workflow.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They cannot cast a vote in the Senate except to break ties.Template:Sfn In the event of a gubernatorial vacancy, the constitution requires the lieutenant governor to assume the governorship. If the governor is temporarily incapacitated or absent, the lieutenant governor is to serve as acting governor.Template:SfnTemplate:Efn In the event the governor-elect fails to qualify for their office, the lieutenant governor-elect becomes governor.Template:Sfn
The constitution makes the lieutenant governor ex officio a member of the North Carolina Board of EducationTemplate:Sfn and one of the ten state officers who comprise the Council of State.Template:Sfn They are also ex officio a member of the North Carolina Capital Planning Commission, the State Board of Community Colleges, and the State Board of Economic Development.Template:Sfn They have the power to appoint some members of other executive state boards,Template:Sfn though state law does not grant them the power to create their own official boards.<ref name= billmantaskforce>Template:Cite web</ref> The constitution allows the governor and General Assembly to assign the lieutenant governor additional duties.Template:Sfn State law empowers the lieutenant governor to oversee the awarding of the North Carolina Medal of Valor for law enforcement officers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The lieutenant governor's office is located in the Hawkins-Hartness House on Blount Street in Raleigh.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They also have an office in the North Carolina State Legislative Building.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They retain a staff to assist in carrying out their functions.Template:Sfn As of January 2025, the office has eight employees retained under the terms of the State Human Resources Act.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They are provided with a security detail supplied by the North Carolina Highway Patrol.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As with all Council of State officers, the lieutenant governor's salary is fixed by the General Assembly and cannot be reduced during their term of office.Template:Sfn As of 2025, the lieutenant governor's annual salary is $168,384.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Removal and vacancies
Unlike with other officers on the Council of State, the governor of North Carolina cannot appoint an interim officer in the event the lieutenant governor's office becomes vacant. In such an instance, the lieutenant governor's role in the Senate is assumed by the president pro tempore.Template:Sfn In the event that the lieutenant governor is impeached by the North Carolina House of Representatives, the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court presides over the court of impeachment, composed at minimum of a majority of the members of the State Senate. A two-thirds affirmative vote of the senators present constitutes a conviction and thus removal and future disqualification from holding office.Template:Sfn Avenues for removing the lieutenant governor from office in circumstances other than impeachment—such as a lack of physical or mental capacity—may be determined by law.Template:Sfn
Template:AnchorList of lieutenant governors
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Notes
References
Works cited
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