September 10, 2009

For Immediate Release

Contact:  NLGA Director Julia Hurst

(859) 283-1400

TWENTY GUBERNATORIAL SUCCESSIONS THIS DECADE

SHOWS GROWING IMPACT OF OFFICE OF LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

Twenty (20) gubernatorial successions occurred between 2000 and today, with 29.5% of the nation’s governors this decade having served first as lieutenant governor or the official first in line of succession.  The majority of the nation’s largest states are led by former lieutenant governors with twelve sitting governors having first served as lieutenant governor.  “The office of lieutenant governor is a vital office with an occupant who plays a critical daily and long-range role in state government,” said National Lieutenant Governor Association (NLGA) Director Julia Hurst. 

“The rate of gubernatorial successions so far this decade shows an increase in the rate of gubernatorial successions since 1900,” said NLGA Associate Director Morgan Mundell.  Utah Governor Gary Herbert is the twentieth (20^th) lieutenant governor to succeed to governor since 2000 and the fifth to succeed in 2009 alone.  Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer both succeeded in January of 2009, while Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson succeeded on April 29, 2009, Alaska Governor Sean Parnell succeeded on July 26, 2009, and Herbert succeeded on August 11, 2009.  New York Governor David Paterson succeeded in March of 2008.  Four of the five were members of the NLGA Executive Committee.

Two more gubernatorial successions were publicly contemplated in 2009.  In December of 2008, the New Mexico governor announced his intent to resign to become a member of the President’s Cabinet and the lieutenant governor began transition preparation.  On January 4, 2009, the governor withdrew his name from nomination and remained governor.  In June of 2009, the South Carolina governor became the subject of national news coverage regarding his inaccessibility for communication during an undisclosed international trip.  Media speculation surfaced regarding his possible resignation.

Twelve current governors first served as lieutenant governor or first in line of succession.  These include the governors of Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.  Illinois, New York, and Texas are three of the largest states by population in the United States.  Seven of these sitting governors served on the NLGA Executive Committee and/or as a NLGA meeting host.

“Data for more than a century showed an average of one in four governors first served as lieutenant governor or first in line of succession,” said Mundell.  NLGA research covering January of 1980 to June of 2006 showed 25% of the governors had also served as lieutenant governor or first in line of succession.  This complements the 1996 findings in “Lieutenant Governors:  The Office and Its Powers” which found “a significant 23% of governors between the years 1900 – 1980 served at one point as lieutenant governor.”

ATT:  List of Governors by Succession since 1990

NLGA MEMBERS WHO BECAME GOVERNOR THROUGH SUCCESSION 2000 – 2009

October 2000                    Missouri Lt. Governor Roger Wilson to governor due to death

December 2000                Texas Lt. Governor Rick Perry to governor when George W. Bush elected

January 2001                     Delaware Acting Governor Ruth Ann Minner to governor due to resignation

January 2001                     Wisconsin Lt. Governor Scott McCallum to governor due to resignation

January 2001                     New Jersey Sen. Pres. Donald DiFrancesco to governor due to resignation

April 2001                           Massachusetts Acting Governor Jane Swift to governor due to resignation

October 2001                     Pennsylvania Lt. Governor Mark Schweiker to governor due to resignation

Late ’02 – Early ’03           New Jersey “Five-governors-in-Seven days” successions

April 2003                           American Samoa Lt. Governor Togiola Tulafono to governor due to death

September 2003                Indiana Lt. Governor Frank O’ Bannon to governor due to death

November 2003                 Utah Lt. Governor Olene Walker to governor due to resignation

July 2004                             Connecticut Lt. Governor M. Jodi Rell to governor due to resignation

November 2004                 New Jersey Sen. Pres. Richard Codey to governor due to resignation

January 2005                      Nebraska Lt. Governor Dave Heineman to governor due to resignation

May 2006                             Idaho Lt. Governor Jim Risch to governor due to resignation

March 2008                         New York Lt. Governor David Paterson to governor due to resignation

January 2009                      Arizona Sec. of State Jan Brewer to governor due to resignation

January 2009                      Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn to governor due to impeachment

April 2009                            Kansas Lt. Governor Mark Parkinson to governor due to resignation

July 2009                              Alaska Lt. Governor Sean Parnell to governor due to resignation

August 2009                       Utah Lt. Governor Gary Herbert to governor due to resignation

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