Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

	Virginia Lieutenant Governor
	; ; ;
	General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$36,321
2024 FY Budget:	$533,926
Term limits:	None
	Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Virginia Constitution, Article V, Section 13
Selection Method:	Elected
	Current Officeholder
	Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Winsome Sears; Republican Party; Assumed office: 2022-01-15
	Elections
Next election:	November 4, 2025
Last election:	November 2, 2021
	Other Virginia Executive Offices
	Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission

The Lieutenant Governor of Virginia is an elected constitutional officer, the second ranking officer of the executive branch and the first officer in line to succeed the Governor of Virginia. The lieutenant governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and, unlike the governor, may run for re-election.

Current officer

See also: Current Lieutenant Governors

The 42nd and current lieutenant governor is Winsome Sears (R), who was elected in 2021.

Authority

The Virginia Constitution addresses the office of the lieutenant governor Article V, the Executive.

Under Article V, Section 13:

A Lieutenant Governor shall be elected at the same time and for the same term as the Governor, and his qualifications and the manner and ascertainment of his election, in all respects, shall be the same, except that there shall be no limit on the terms of the Lieutenant Governor.

Qualifications

In order to be eligible for the office of lieutenant governor, a candidate must be:^[1]

at least 30 years old
a United States citizen
a resident of Virginia for at least five years at the time of the election
a qualified elector of Virginia for at least one year preceding the election

Elections

Virginia state government organizational chart

See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state

See also: Election of lieutenant governors

Virginia holds off-year elections, that is, elections in odd-numbered years that are neither presidential nor midterm years. In Virginia's, elections are held in the year after a presidential election and before a midterm (e.g. 2021, 2025, 2029, 2033). Legally, the inauguration is always held on the Saturday after the second Wednesday in January after an election.^[2]^[3]

By law, lieutenant governors are elected in separate elections from governors in both the primary and general elections. This means it is possible to have a partisan split in the executive office.

In the event of a tie between two candidates or a contested election, a joint session of the legislature shall cast ballots.

Full history

To view the electoral history dating back to 2001 for the office of Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, click [show] to expand the section.

2021

See also: Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2021

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

Winsome Sears defeated Hala Ayala in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia on November 2, 2021.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Winsome Sears (R)	50.7	1,658,767
	Hala Ayala (D)	49.2	1,608,691
	Other/Write-in votes	0.1	3,808

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,271,266
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Bobby Junes (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia on June 8, 2021.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Hala Ayala	37.6	181,168
	Sam Rasoul	24.3	116,816
	Mark Levine	11.2	53,735
	Andria McClellan	10.6	51,015
	Sean Perryman	8.1	38,925
	Xavier Warren	4.1	19,903
	Elizabeth Guzman (Unofficially withdrew)	4.1	19,803

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 481,365
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Kellen Squire (D)
Paul Goldman (D)

Republican convention

Republican Convention for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

Select round:

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Winsome Sears in round 5 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,555
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

2017

See also: Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2017

Virginia held an election for lieutenant governor on November 7, 2017. Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam (D) was running for governor, leaving the lieutenant governor election an open race.

The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election was held on June 13, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in the primary election was March 30, 2017.

Justin Fairfax (D) defeated Jill Holtzman Vogel (R) in the election for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.^[4]

Virginia Lieutenant Gubernatorial Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Justin Fairfax	52.77%	1,368,261
	Republican	Jill Holtzman Vogel	47.23%	1,224,519
Total Votes				2,592,780
Source: Virginia Department of Elections

Justin Fairfax defeated Susan Platt and Gene Rossi in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.^[5]

Virginia Democratic Lieutenant Gubernatorial Primary, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Justin Fairfax	49.13%	252,400
Susan Platt	39.19%	201,316
Gene Rossi	11.69%	60,041
Total Votes		513,757
Source: The New York Times

Jill Holtzman Vogel defeated Bryce Reeves and Glenn Davis in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.^[5]

Virginia Republican Lieutenant Gubernatorial Primary, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jill Holtzman Vogel	42.73%	151,998
Bryce Reeves	39.98%	142,218
Glenn Davis	17.29%	61,517
Total Votes		355,733
Source: The New York Times

2013

On November 5, 2013, Ralph Northam won election to the office of Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. He defeated E.W. Jackson (R) in the general election.

Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Ralph Northam	55.1%	1,213,155
	Republican	E.W. Jackson	44.5%	980,257
	Write-In	Various	0.3%	7,472
Total Votes				2,200,884
Election results via Virginia State Board of Elections.

2009

On November 3, 2009, William T. "Bill" Bolling won re-election to the office of Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. He defeated Jody M. Wagner (D) in the general election.

Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, 2009
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	William T. "Bill" Bolling Incumbent	56.5%	1,106,793
	Democratic	Jody M. Wagner	43.4%	850,111
	Write-In	Various	0.1%	1,569
Total Votes				1,958,473
Election results via Virginia State Board of Elections.

2005

On November 8, 2005, William T. Bolling won election to the office of Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. He defeated Leslie L. Byrne (D) in the general election.

Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, 2005
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	William T. Bolling	50.5%	979,265
	Democratic	Leslie L. Byrne	49.3%	956,906
	Write-In	Various	0.2%	4,065
Total Votes				1,940,236
Election results via Virginia State Board of Elections.

2001

On November 6, 2001, Tim Kaine won election to the office of Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. He defeated Jay K. Katzen (R) and Gary A. Reams (L) in the general election.

Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, 2001
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Tim Kaine	50.3%	925,974
	Republican	Jay K. Katzen	48.1%	883,886
	Libertarian	Gary A. Reams	1.6%	28,783
	Write-In	Various	0%	490
Total Votes				1,839,133
Election results via Virginia State Board of Elections.

Vacancies

Details of vacancies are addressed under Article V, Section 7.

A vacancy in the lieutenant governor's office is filled by the governor.

Duties

The lieutenant governor serves as the president of the Virginia State Senate and may cast tie-breaking votes. The lieutenant governor is first in the line of succession to the governor; in the event the governor dies, resigns, or otherwise leaves office, the lieutenant governor becomes governor.

As of May 2016, the lieutenant governor also had the following statutory duties:^[6]

“

Serves on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Tourism Authority. (Va. Code Ann. Ch. 22, Art. 8, 2.2-2316)
Serves as a member of the Board of the Ft. Monroe Authority. (Va. Code Ann. Ch. 22, Art. 8, 2.2-2338)
Serves on the Council on Virginia’s Future. (Va. Code Ann. Ch. 22, Art. 8, 2.2-2685)
Serves on the Virginia Military Advisory Council. (Va. Code Ann. Ch. 22. Art. 8, 2.2-2666.1)
Serves on Board of Trustees for the Center for Rural Virginia. (Va. Code Ann. Ch. 22. Art. 8, 2.2-2721)
Serve on the Advisory Board of the Secure Commonwealth Panel. (Va. Code Ann. Ch. 2, 2.2-222.3)
Serve on the Board of Trustees for the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. (Va. Code Ann. Ch. 23-287)
Serve on the board of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority (Va. Code Ann. Ch. 22, Art. 4, 2.2-2235) ^[7]

”

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 Virginia 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: Virginia state budget and finances

The budget for the Virginia Lieutenant Governor's Office in Fiscal Year 2024 was $533,926.^[8]

Compensation

See also: Comparison of lieutenant gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers

See statutes: VA Code § 2.2-201 (2014)

The lieutenant governor is entitled to receive a fixed annual salary in accordance with Title 2, Chapter 2 of the Virginia Code (§ 2.2-201).^[9] The amount is set by law, pursuant to Article V, Section 14 of the Virginia Constitution:

The Lieutenant Governor... shall receive for his services a compensation to be prescribed by law, which shall not be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have been elected.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $36,321, according to the Council of State Governments.^[10]

2021

In 2021, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $36,321, according to the Council of State Governments.^[11]

2020

In 2020, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $36,321 according to the Council of State Governments.^[1]

2019

In 2019, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $36,321 according to the Council of State Governments.^[12]

2018

In 2018, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $36,321 according to the Council of State Governments.^[13]

2017

In 2017, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $36,321 according to the Council of State Governments.^[14]

2016

In 2016, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $36,321 according to the Council of State Governments.^[15]

2015

In 2015, the lieutenant governor received a salary $36,321 according to the Council of State Governments.^[16]

2014

In 2014, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $36,321 according to the Council of State Governments.^[17]

2013

In 2013, the lieutenant governor was paid an estimated $36,321. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.^[18]

2010

As of 2010, the lieutenant governor was paid $36,321 a year, the 40th highest lieutenant gubernatorial salary in America.

Historical officeholders

There have been 41 lieutenant governors of Virginia since 1852. Of the 41 officeholders, 29 were Democrats, five were Republicans, three were Unionists, two were Conservatives, one was a Readjuster Republican coalition, and one was an Independent.^[19]

List of officeholders from 1852-Present
#	Name	Tenure	Party
1	Shelton Farrar Leake	1852 – 1856	Democratic
2	Elisha W. McComas	1856 – 1857	Democratic
3	William Lowther Jackson	1857 - 1860	Democratic
4	Robert Latane Montague	1860 – 1864	Democratic
5	Samuel Price	1864 – 1865	Democratic
6	Daniel Polsley	1861 – 1863	Unionist
7	Leopold Copeland Parker Cowper	1863 – 1865	Unionist
8	Leopold Copeland Parker Cowper	1865 – 1869	Unionist
9	John Francis Lewis	1869-1870	Republican
10	John Lawrence Marye, Jr.	1870-1874	Conservative
11	Robert Enoch Withers	1874-1875	Conservative
12	Henry Wirtz Thomas	1875-1878	Republican
13	James Alexander Walker	1878 – 1882	Democratic
14	John Francis Lewis	1882-1886	Readjuster Republican coalition
15	John Edward "Parson" Massey	1886-1890	Democratic
16	James Hoge Tyler	1890-1894	Democratic
17	Robert Craig Kent	1894-1898	Democratic
18	Edward Echols	1898-1902	Democratic
19	Joseph Edward Willard	1902-1906	Democratic
20	James Taylor Ellyson	1906-1918	Democratic
21	Benjamin Franklin Buchanan	1918-1922	Democratic
22	Junius Edgar West	1922-1930	Democratic
23	James Hubert Price	1930-1938	Democratic
24	Saxon Winston Holt	1938-1940	Democratic
25	William Munford Tuck	1942-1946	Democratic
26	Lewis Preston Collins, II	1946-1952	Democratic
27	Allie Edward Stokes Stephens	1952-1962	Democratic
28	Mills Edwin Godwin, Jr.	1962-1966	Democratic
29	Fred Gresham Pollard	1966-1970	Democratic
30	Julian Sargeant Reynolds	1970-1971	Democratic
31	Henry Evans Howell, Jr.	1971-1974	Independent
32	John Nichols Dalton	1974-1978	Republican
33	Charles Spittal Robb	1978-1982	Democratic
34	Richard Joseph Davis	1982-1986	Democratic
35	Lawrence Douglas Wilder	1986-1990	Democratic
36	Donald Sternoff Beyer, Jr.	1990-1998	Democratic
37	John Henry Hager	1998-2002	Republican
38	Timothy M. Kaine	2002-2006	Democratic
39	William T. Bolling	2006-2014	Republican
40	Ralph Northam	2014-2018	Democratic
41	Justin Fairfax	2018-2022	Democratic
42	Winsome Sears	2022-present	Republican

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Lieutenant Governor of Virginia - Google News

Contact information

Physical address
Virginia Lieutenant Governor
P.O. Box 1195
Richmond, VA 23218

Phone: (804) 786-2078

External links

Suggest a link

Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

Footnotes

[bos2020-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 20, 2021

[2] Virginia Law, "Article V. Executive, Section 1. Executive power; Governor’s term of office.," accessed November 3, 2021

[3] Virginia Law, "Article V. Executive, Section 13. Lieutenant Governor; election and qualifications," accessed November 3, 2021

[4] Virginia Department of Elections, "List of Statewide Candidates," October 17, 2017

[filing-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 Primary Filing," accessed May 12, 2017

[6] National Lieutenant Governors Association, "Virginia Office of Lt. Governor Statutory Duties," accessed January 21, 2021

[quotedisclaimer-7] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[8] Commonwealth of Virginia, "Budget Bill - HB6001 (Chapter 1)," accessed December 12, 2023

[9] Justia.com, "VA Code § 2.2-201 (2014)," accessed January 21, 2021

[BotS2022-10] Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel

[2021salary-11] Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 28, 2022

[12] Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 21, 2021

[13] Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 21, 2021

[14] Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 21, 2021

[15] Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016

[16] Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016

[17] Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed December 8, 2014

[18] Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," January 31, 2014

[19] Encyclopedia Virginia, " Lieutenant Governors of Virginia," accessed July 16, 2013

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Virginia Lieutenant Governor

General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$36,321
2024 FY Budget:	$533,926
Term limits:	None
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Virginia Constitution, Article V, Section 13
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Winsome Sears Republican Party Assumed office: 2022-01-15
Elections
Next election:	November 4, 2025
Last election:	November 2, 2021
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Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

Current officer

Authority

Qualifications

Elections

Full history

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican convention

Republican Convention for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

Vacancies

Duties

Divisions

State budget

Compensation

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2010

Historical officeholders

Recent news

Contact information

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2024 Elections

2025 Elections

Analysis

Public Policy

Information for candidates

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