Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
| Louisiana Lieutenant Governor | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Partisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $115,003 |
| 2024 FY Budget: | $10,720,397 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Louisiana Constitution, Article IV, The Executive Department |
| Selection Method: | Elected |
| Current Officeholder | |
Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
Billy Nungesser | |
| Elections | |
| Next election: | November 20, 2027 |
| Last election: | November 18, 2023 |
| Other Louisiana Executive Offices | |
| Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission | |
The Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana is an elected constitutional officer, the second ranking officer of the executive branch and the first officer in line to succeed the governor of Louisiana. The lieutenant governor is popularly elected every four years by a majority.
Current officeholder
- See also: Current Lieutenant Governors
The current Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana is Billy Nungesser (R). Nungesser assumed office in 2016.
Authority
The Louisiana Constitution establishes the office of lieutenant governor in Article IV, the Executive Department.
Under Article IV, Section 5(A):
|
...The executive branch shall consist of the governor, lieutenant governor... |
Qualifications
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| Lt. Governor Elections |
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Under Article IV, Section 2, a candidate for lieutenant governor is required to:[1]
- have attained the age of 25 years.
- be an elector.
- have been a citizen of the United States, and
- have been a citizen of Louisiana for at least the preceding five years.
Elections
- See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state
- See also: Election of lieutenant governors
Louisiana holds off-year elections; that is, elections in off-numbered years that are neither presidential nor midterm years. Elections are held in the year after a midterm and before a presidential (e.g. 2023, 2027, 2031, and 2035). Legally, the inauguration is always held the second Monday in January after an election.
2023
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
The following candidates ran in the primary for Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana on October 14, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Billy Nungesser (R) | 65.5 | 678,531 | |
| Willie Jones (D) | 20.5 | 211,988 | ||
| Elbert Guillory (R) | 6.2 | 64,058 | ||
| Tami Hotard (R) | 4.9 | 50,711 | ||
| Bruce Payton (Independent) | 1.7 | 17,195 | ||
| Gary Rispone (Independent) | 1.3 | 13,111 | ||
| Total votes: 1,035,594 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Clay Schexnayder (R)
- Chester Pritchett (Independent)
2019
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana
Incumbent Billy Nungesser won election outright against Willie Jones in the primary for Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana on October 12, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Billy Nungesser (R) | 68.1 | 884,309 | |
| Willie Jones (D) | 31.9 | 413,556 | ||
| Total votes: 1,297,865 | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Rao Uppu (D)
2015
There was a regularly scheduled election for lieutenant governor in 2015. Jay Dardenne (R) was eligible for re-election but ran for governor instead. The primary election took place on October 24, 2015, and a runoff election was held on November 21, 2015, because no candidate received 50 percent of the primary vote. Republican Billy Nungesser was elected to succeed Lt. Gov. Dardenne.
General election
Incumbent Jay Dardenne (R) decided to run for governor of Louisiana instead of seeking re-election. Republican Billy Nungesser defeated his Democratic opponent, Kip Holden. In the same cycle, John Edwards (D) won the 2015 gubernatorial election.[2]
| Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, Run-off election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Kip Holden | 44.6% | 506,578 | |
| Republican |  Billy Nungesser |
55.4% | 628,864 | |
| Total Votes | 1,135,442 | |||
| Election Results Louisiana Secretary of State. | ||||
Primary election
No candidate received an outright majority in the blanket primary election on October 24, 2015. The two candidates with the most votes, who qualified for the November 21st runoff election were Kip Holden (D) and Billy Nungesser (R).[3]
| Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana, Blanket Primary, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Kip Holden |
33.3% | 360,679 | |
| Republican | Billy Nungesser |
30% | 324,654 | |
| Republican | John Young | 28.9% | 313,183 | |
| Republican | Elbert Guillory | 7.9% | 85,460 | |
| Total Votes | 1,083,976 | |||
| Election Results Louisiana Secretary of State. | ||||
Term limits
There are no term limits for this office.
Vacancies
Details of vacancies are addressed under Article IV, Section 15.
|
Should a vacancy occur in the office of lieutenant governor, the governor shall nominate a lieutenant governor, who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of the elected members of each house of the legislature. If the unexpired term exceeds one year, such person shall serve as lieutenant governor only until the office is filled as provided in Section 16(B) of this Article. |
Duties
The lieutenant governor serves as governor in the event of a vacancy in the office, if the governor is unable to act as governor, or is out of state.[1]
The lieutenant governor also serves as the Commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, with the power to appoint the secretary and other key positions with Senate approval.[4]
Under the state constitution, the lieutenant governor serves as an ex-officio member of each committee, board, and commission on which the governor serves.
The governor may assign additional duties and responsibilities to the lieutenant governor.
Divisions
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
State budget
- See also: Louisiana state budget and finances
The Louisiana lieutenant governor's budget for fiscal year 2024 was $10,720,397.[5]
Compensation
- See also: Comparison of lieutenant gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers
The salary of the lieutenant governor, along with the rest of Louisiana's elected executives, is determined by the Louisiana State Legislature. Article IV, Section 4 requires that changes in compensation take effect in the term after they were passed.[6]
Louisiana Constitution, Article IV, Section 4
| Compensation Section 4. Except as otherwise provided by this constitution, the compensation of each statewide elected official shall be provided by law. An increase in the salary of a statewide elected official shall not become effective until the commencement of the subsequent term for that office following the adoption or enactment of the increase. |
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $115,003, according to the Council of State Governments.[7]
2021
In 2021, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $115,003, according to the Council of State Governments.[8]
2020
In 2020, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $115,003 according to the Council of State Governments.[9]
2019
In 2019, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $117,303 according to the Council of State Governments.[10]
2018
In 2018, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $115,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[11]
2017
In 2017, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $115,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[12]
2016
In 2016, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $115,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[13]
2015
In 2015, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $115,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[14]
2014
In 2014, the lieutenant governor earned a salary of $115,000 according to the Council of State Governments.[15]
2013
In 2013, the lieutenant governor's salary remained at $115,000.[16]
2012
In 2012, the lieutenant governor was paid an estimated $115,000. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.
2010
As of 2010, the lieutenant governor was paid $115,000, the 12th highest lieutenant gubernatorial salary in America.
Historical officeholders
Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for chronological lists of historical officeholders; information for the Lieutenant Governor of Louisiana has not yet been added because the information was unavailable on the relevant state official websites, or we are currently in the process of formatting the list for this office. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Louisiana Lieutenant Governor. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
Contact information
Capitol Address:
Office of Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser
1051 N. 3rd Street
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802
PO Box 44243
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-4243
Phone: 225-342-7009
Fax: 225-342-1949
See also
| Louisiana | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Louisiana Lt. Governor's Office, "Terms of Office" accessed January 19, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Unofficial Election Results 2015," accessed November 22, 2015
- ↑ The Lens, "Elections 2015," accessed October 25, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbio - ↑ Louisiana House of Representatives, "FY 2024 State Budget Tracker," accessed December 8, 2023
- ↑ Louisiana Constitution of 1974, "ARTICLE IV EXECUTIVE BRANCH; COMPENSATION," accessed January 19, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑ Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 19, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 19, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 19, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 19, 2021
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 24, 2014
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Table 4.11 Selected State Administrative Officials:Annual Salaries," accessed January 23, 2014
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