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Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey
| Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Style |
|
| Term length | Four years, renewable once consecutively |
| Constituting instrument | New Jersey Constitution of 1947 (as amended, effective January 17, 2006) |
| Inaugural holder | Kim Guadagno (2010) |
| Formation | January 19, 2010 |
| Succession | First |
| Salary | $175,000 (per year)[1] |
The lieutenant governor of New Jersey is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the state government of New Jersey in the United States. The lieutenant governor is the second highest-ranking official in the state government and is elected concurrently on a ticket with the governor for a four-year term.[2] The position itself does not carry any powers or duties other than to be next in the order of succession, but the state constitution requires that the lieutenant governor also be appointed to serve as the head of a cabinet-level department or administrative agency within the governor's administration, other than the position of Attorney General.
Prior to 2010, New Jersey was one of a few states in the United States that did not have a lieutenant governor to succeed to the governorship in the event of a vacancy in that office. For most of the state's (and previously the colony's) history, a vacancy in the position of governor was filled by the president of the State Senate (called the "Legislative Council" from 1776 to 1844), or during the colonial era by the president of the royal governor's Provincial Council.
After several episodes during which the state had multiple "acting governors" in the span of a few years following the resignations of Governor Christine Todd Whitman in 2001 and Governor James E. McGreevey in 2004, popular sentiment and political pressure from the state's residents and news media outlets sought a permanent and tenable solution to the issue of gubernatorial succession. A referendum put before the state's voters authorized the amendment of the state's constitution in 2006. This amendment provided for the state's first lieutenant governor to be elected in the state's 2009 gubernatorial election.
Republican Kim Guadagno was the first to serve in the post. Guadagno, previously the sheriff in Monmouth County, was chosen by Governor Chris Christie to be his running mate on the Republican Party ticket in the 2009 election. In 2017, Democratic New Jersey Assemblywoman and former Speaker of the Assembly Sheila Oliver was elected lieutenant governor as the running mate of Phil Murphy; she was sworn in as the state's second lieutenant governor on January 16, 2018 and served until her death on August 1, 2023. Then–Secretary of State Tahesha Way was appointed lieutenant governor on September 8, 2023.
- ^ "The Book of the States | 2021 | Volume 53 by The Council of State Governments - Issuu". issuu.com. January 7, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ “The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be elected conjointly and for concurrent terms by the legally qualified voters of this State, and the manner of election shall require each voter to cast a single vote for both offices.” - Excerpt from the New Jersey State Constitution, "New Jersey Constitution | NJ Legislature". New Jersey Legislature. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
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