The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

for a four-year term. Official duties dictated to the lieutenant governor under the present New York Constitution are to serve as president of the state senate, serve as acting governor in the absence of the governor from the state or the disability of the governor, or to become governor in the event of the governor's death, resignation or removal from office via impeachment. Additional statutory duties of the lieutenant governor are to serve on the New York Court for the Trial of Impeachments, the State Defense Council, and on the board of trustees of the

College of Environmental Science and Forestry The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) is a public research university in Syracuse, New York focused on the environment and natural resources. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) sys ...

. The lieutenant governor of New York is the highest-paid lieutenant governor in the country. The office is currently held by Antonio Delgado, who was sworn in May 25, 2022. Most lieutenant governors take on other duties as assigned to them by the governor. For example, Mary Donohue took on duties in the areas of small business, school violence, and

land-use planning Land use planning is the process of regulating the use of land by a central authority. Usually, this is done to promote more desirable social and environmental outcomes as well as a more efficient use of resources. More specifically, the goals ...

, along with serving as a surrogate speaker for the governor in upstate New York. Donohue's predecessor, Betsy McCaughey Ross, worked on Medicare and education policy, before her falling out with Governor George Pataki. Democrat

Stan Lundine Stanley Nelson Lundine (born February 4, 1939) is an American politician from Jamestown, New York who served as Mayor of Jamestown, a United States representative, and Lieutenant Governor of New York. Life and career Lundine graduated from ...

, who served under Governor Mario Cuomo, was active on technology and housing issues during his two terms in office. While governor and lieutenant governor are elected by a single joint vote in the general election, they run separately in the primaries. In 1982, Mario Cuomo won the Democratic nomination for governor, but his running mate

H. Carl McCall Herman Carl McCall (born October 17, 1935) is an American politician of the Democratic Party. A former New York State Comptroller and New York State Senator, McCall was the Democratic candidate for Governor of New York in 2002. McCall was the ...

lost the lieutenant governor nomination to

Alfred DelBello Alfred Benedict DelBello (November 3, 1934 – May 15, 2015) was an American politician and lawyer from New York. A registered Democrat, he served as the Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1983 to 1985. DelBello was the first Democrat to be e ...

. DelBello was elected with Cuomo, but resigned in 1985, complaining that Cuomo did not give him anything to do. McCaughey Ross had been elected on a ticket with Pataki in 1994 but soon broke with him on state policy. He dropped her from his 1998 re-election ticket, and she became a Democrat and ran for governor on the Liberal ticket. Thirteen years before Hochul succeeded Cuomo as governor, Lieutenant Governor

David Paterson David Alexander Paterson (born May 20, 1954) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 55th governor of New York, succeeding Eliot Spitzer and serving out nearly three years of Spitzer's term from March 2008 to December 2010. A ...

succeeded to the governorship in the same manner, when

Eliot Spitzer Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American politician and attorney. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 54th governor of New York from 2007 until his resignation in 2008. Spitzer was born in New York City, attended P ...

resigned on March 17, 2008. Mario Cuomo was the last lieutenant governor to be elected governor.

Recent campaigns for lieutenant governor

1994 election

In the 1994 statewide election, Lt. Gov.

sought reelection on the Democratic ticket with Gov. Mario Cuomo. Lieutenant Governor Lundine was unopposed for renomination on the Democratic ticket. In the Republican primary, academic

Betsy McCaughey Elizabeth Helen McCaughey (; née Peterken; born October 20, 1948), formerly known as Betsy McCaughey Ross, is an American politician who was the Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1995 to 1998, during the first term of Governor George Pataki. ...

was the only candidate, as nominated by the Republican State Convention. Ms. McCaughey was selected as a running mate by State Sen. George Pataki. Pataki reportedly also considered sofa bed heiress

Bernadette Castro Bernadette Castro (born July 10, 1944 in Manhattan) is an American businesswoman and former New York politician who served in the Cabinet of former New York Governor George Pataki. She is a partner with her family in Castro Properties. In the ...

and Assembly Minority Leader Clarence Rappalya as possible running mates as well. The Pataki/McCaughey ticket defeated the Cuomo/Lundine ticket in the general election.

1998 election

In 1997, following a falling out for most of their term, Gov. George Pataki dropped Lieutenant Governor Betsy McCaughey Ross from the ticket. Pataki embarked on a year long process to select a new running mate for lieutenant governor. After reportedly considering State Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro, State Sen.

Mary Lou Rath Mary Lou Rath (née Schmitt) (born June 17, 1934) is an American politician who served as a member of New York State Senate from 1993 to 2008. A Republican, she represented the state's 61st district, which consisted of parts of Erie County and ...

and Erie County Comptroller Nancy Naples, Pataki nominated Judge Mary Donohue as his running mate. Judge Donohue was unopposed for the Republican nomination. Several candidates entered the race for the Democratic lieutenant governor nomination. State Sen.

Anthony Nanula Anthony R. Nanula (born December 9, 1965) is an American real estate developer, investment banker, political leader, and philanthropist from Buffalo, New York. Anthony Nanula is the Chief Investment Officer of Sinatra & Company Real Estate. He a ...

of Buffalo reportedly considered the race and then decided against running. Plattsburgh Mayor

Clyde Rabideau Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a to ...

, Brighton Town Supervisor Sandra Frankel, Buffalo Councilwoman Barbra Kavenugh, and attorney Charlie King of Rockland County announced their candidacies for the nomination. Councilwoman Kavanaugh withdrew from the race at the Democratic State Convention. Mayor Rabideau was selected as a running mate by New York City Council Speaker Peter Vallone and Supervisor Frankel was selected as a running mate by Brooklyn District Attorney

Charles Hynes Charles Joseph Hynes (born Charles Aiken Hynes; May 28, 1935 – January 29, 2019) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician from New York who served as Kings County District Attorney from 1990 to 2013. Early life and education Hynes ...

during the state convention. Mr. King received enough support to qualify for the September primary ballot and continued his race. Lieutenant Governor McCaughey Ross, who was running for governor, reportedly considered Assemblyman Sam Hoyt as a running mate. As the Liberal Party nominee, Lieutenant Governor McCaughey Ross was paired with Jonathan Reiter as a running mate. Independence Party nominee Tom Golisano ran with

Laureen Oliver Laureen Oliver is a US politician who co-founded the New York State Independence Party. Career In 1992, Oliver co-founded the New York State Independence Party with B. Thomas Golisano. Prior to the Independence Party, Oliver served as the Mo ...

. The Green Party nominee actor Al Lewis ran with Alice Green. Supervisor Frankel won the Democratic lieutenant governor primary and was paired in the general election with Speaker Vallone. The Pataki/Donohue ticket defeated the Vallone/Frankel and the Golisano/Oliver tickets.

2002 election

Reports in early 2002 said that Governor Pataki was considered dropping Lieutenant Governor Donohue from the ticket and asking her to run for New York State Attorney General instead. The reports said he had considered New York Secretary of State Randy Daniels and Erie County Executive Joel Giambra as replacement running mates, but eventually Lieutenant Governor Donohue would join Governor Pataki again on the Republican ticket. The Democratic field started with 1998 nominee Sandra Frankel, 1998 candidate Charlie King, businessman Dennis Mehiel, Westchester County Legislature Chairman George Latimer and former New York City Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jane Steiner Hoffman. Commissioner Hoffman dropped out of the race for medical reasons, and both Latimer and Frankel dropped out for party unity. State Comptroller Carl McCall selected Mr. Mehiel as his running mate and former HUD Secretary

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( ; ; born December 6, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to the same position that his father, Mario Cuo ...

selected Mr. King as a running mate. A week before the September primary, Secretary Cuomo and Mr. King withdrew from their primaries and endorsed the McCall and Mehiel ticket. The Independence Party had a contested primary battle for lieutenant governor. Lieutenant Governor Donohue faced an Independence Party member aligned with gubernatorial candidate Tom Golisano in the primary, but won the primary, while Governor Pataki lost the Independence primary for governor to Golisano. This made Donohue the running mate for both Pataki and Golisano in November. The

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

nominated Jennifer Daniels for lieutenant governor on a ticket with

Stanley Aronowitz Stanley Aronowitz (January 6, 1933 – August 16, 2021) was a professor of sociology, cultural studies, and urban education at the CUNY Graduate Center. He was also a veteran political activist and cultural critic, an advocate for organized labo ...

. The Pataki/Donohue ticket defeated the McCall and Mehiel and the Golisano and Donohue tickets in November.

2006 election

Lieutenant Governor Donohue announced that she would not run for a third term in 2006. The race to succeed her drew eight major party candidates. State Senate Minority Leader

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

won the Democratic nomination.

Rockland County Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. It is about from the Bronx at their closest points. The county's population, as of t ...

Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef won the Republican nomination. The Green Party candidate was Alison Duncan. Former candidates for the Democratic lieutenant governor nomination were attorney

Leecia Eve Leecia Roberta Eve is an attorney from New York with experience in federal government, state government, and the private sector who currently works as a lobbyist for telecommunications giant Verizon. Born in Buffalo, Eve was a candidate for Lieut ...

of Buffalo, Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli of Nassau County, Doctor Jon Cohen of Nassau County and Wappinger Town Supervisor Joseph Ruggiero of

Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later or ...

. Former candidates for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor were New York Secretary of State Christopher Jacobs of Buffalo, Town Supervisor Tim Demler of Wheatfield, and former State Senator Nancy Larraine Hoffmann of Madison County. The Spitzer/Paterson ticket defeated the Faso/Vanderhoef ticket in the election for Governor and Lieutenant Governor on November 7.

2008 vacancy and 2009 appointment

After Lieutenant Governor

succeeded to the governorship of New York after

resigned on March 17, 2008, the office of lieutenant governor became vacant. The duties of lieutenant governor were then performed successively by Temporary Presidents of the State Senate Joseph Bruno, Dean Skelos, Malcolm Smith and, during the

2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

Pedro Espada Jr. Pedro Espada Jr. (born October 20, 1953) is an American convicted felon and former politician. A Democrat, Espada served in the New York Senate. Espada was at the center of a June 2009 power struggle in the State Senate. He was one of two Democr ...

On July 8, 2009, before the recapture of senate control by the Democrats, Governor Paterson appointed

Richard Ravitch Richard Ravitch (born July 7, 1933) is an American politician and businessman who served as Lieutenant Governor of New York from 2009 to 2010. He was appointed to the position in July 2009 by New York Governor David Paterson. A native of New Yo ...

to the position of lieutenant governor to resolve the month-long political stalemate in the state senate. However,

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Andrew Cuomo warned Paterson before Ravitch's selection that such an appointment would be unconstitutional. Litigation concerning the appointment's constitutionality was filed in New York State's courts by the Republican Senate caucus on July 9. A preliminary ruling by Justice William R. LaMarca on July 21 upheld AG Cuomo. On August 20, a four-judge panel of the Appellate Division (2nd Dept.) rejected unanimously the appointment. However, on September 22, in a "stunning reversal," the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the Unified Court System of the State of New York. The Court of Appeals consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge and six Associate Judges who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by ...

, ruled in a 4-3 decision that Paterson's appointment was constitutional.

2021 vacancy and appointment

Upon the resignation of Governor

in August 2021, Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul succeeded him, with Andrea Stewart-Cousins becoming acting lieutenant governor. Hochul then picked State Senator Brian Benjamin for lieutenant governor, a position he filled on September 9, 2021.

2022 vacancy and appointment

Upon the resignation of Lt. Governor Brian Benjamin on April 12, 2022 due to federal corruption charges, Andrea Stewart-Cousins became acting lieutenant governor for the second time. Governor Hochul later appointed Antonio Delgado to fill the vacancy and was sworn in on May 25, 2022.

List of lieutenant governors

Living former lieutenant governors

, there are nine living former lieutenant governors of New York. The list includes lieutenant governors who later became governors. The most recent and most recently serving lieutenant governor to die was

(served from 1983–1985, born 1934) on May 15, 2015.

References

External links

Office of the Lieutenant Governor
{{NYStateOfficers