Lieutenant Governor of New York
Encyclopedia
The Lieutenant Governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the government of New York State. It is the second highest ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...

 for a four year term. Official duties dictated to the lieutenant governor under the present state constitution are to serve as President of the State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...

, serve as acting governor
Acting governor
An acting governor is a constitutional position created in some U.S. states when the governor dies in office or resigns. In some states, the governor may also be declared to be incapacitated and unable to function for various reasons, including illness and absence from the state for more than a...

 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, impeachment or resignation. Additional statutory duties of the lieutenant governor are to serve on the New York Court for the Trial of Impeachments
New York Court for the Trial of Impeachments
The Court for the Trial of Impeachments, and the Correction of Errors was established by the New York State Constitution of 1777. It consisted then of the Lieutenant Governor of New York , the Chancellor, the justices of the New York Supreme Court and the members of the New York State Senate...

, the State Defense Council, and on the Board of Trustees of the College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

The office is currently held by Robert Duffy.

Most lieutenant governors take on other duties as assigned to them by the governor. For example, Mary Donohue
Mary Donohue
Mary O’Connor Donohue is a Judge of the New York Court of Claims and a former Lieutenant Governor of New York State. She was first elected lieutenant governor in 1998 and reelected 2002 on a ticket with Gov. George Pataki.-Teaching and legal career:...

 took on duties in the areas of small business, school violence, and land use planning, along with serving as a surrogate speaker for the governor in upstate New York. Donohue's predecessor, Betsy McCaughey Ross
Betsy McCaughey Ross
Betsy McCaughey , formerly known as Betsy McCaughey Ross, was the Republican Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1995 to 1998, during the first term of Governor George Pataki. She unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party nomination for Governor after Pataki dropped her from his 1998 ticket.An...

, worked on Medicare and education policy, prior to her falling out with Gov. George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...

. Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 Stan Lundine
Stan Lundine
Stanley Nelson Lundine is a politician from Jamestown, New York who served as Mayor of Jamestown, a United States Representative, and lieutenant governor of New York. A Democrat, he was inaugurated Mayor in 1970 and served to 1976 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives after the...

, who served under Gov. Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...

, 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
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...

 won the Democratic nomination for governor, but his running mate H. Carl McCall lost the lieutenant governor nomination to Alfred DelBello
Alfred DelBello
Alfred Benedict DelBello is an American politician from New York. A registered Democrat, he was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1983 to 1985.-Life:...

. 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
Liberal Party of New York
The Liberal Party of New York is a minor American political party that has been active only in the state of New York. Its platform supports a standard set of social liberal policies: it supports right to abortion, increased spending on education, and universal health care.As of 2007, the Liberal...

 ticket.

Prior to Paterson succeeding Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Laurence Spitzer is an American lawyer, former Democratic Party politician, and political commentator. He was the co-host of In the Arena, a talk-show and punditry forum broadcast on CNN until CNN cancelled his show in July of 2011...

 on March 17, 2008, the last lieutenant governor to succeed to the governorship was Malcolm Wilson
Malcolm Wilson (New York)
Charles Malcolm Wilson was the 50th Governor of New York from December 18, 1973, to December 31, 1974. He was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1939 to 1958. He also served in the Navy during World War II...

 following the 1973 resignation of Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...

. Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...

 was the last lieutenant governor to be elected governor.

1994 election

In the 1994 statewide election, Lt. Gov. Stan Lundine
Stan Lundine
Stanley Nelson Lundine is a politician from Jamestown, New York who served as Mayor of Jamestown, a United States Representative, and lieutenant governor of New York. A Democrat, he was inaugurated Mayor in 1970 and served to 1976 when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives after the...

 sought reelection on the Democratic ticket with Gov. Mario Cuomo
Mario Cuomo
Mario Matthew Cuomo served as the 52nd Governor of New York from 1983 to 1994, and is the father of Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York.-Early life:...

. Lieutenant Governor Lundine was unopposed for renomination on the Democratic ticket. In the Republican primary, academic Betsy McCaughey was the only candidate, as nominated by the Republican State Convention. Ms. McCaughey was selected as a running mate by State Sen. George Pataki
George Pataki
George Elmer Pataki is an American politician who was the 53rd Governor of New York. A member of the Republican Party, Pataki served three consecutive four-year terms from January 1, 1995 until December 31, 2006.- Early life :...

. Pataki reportedly also considered sofa bed heiress Bernadette Castro
Bernadette Castro
Bernadette Castro is a New York politician and businesswoman who served in the Cabinet of former Governor George Pataki. She was the heir and former President and Chief Executive Officer of Castro Convertibles, a sofa business in New Hyde Park, New York. Castro sold the company to Krause...

 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 Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey Ross
Betsy McCaughey Ross
Betsy McCaughey , formerly known as Betsy McCaughey Ross, was the Republican Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1995 to 1998, during the first term of Governor George Pataki. She unsuccessfully sought the Democratic Party nomination for Governor after Pataki dropped her from his 1998 ticket.An...

 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
Mary Lou Rath is a former state senator in New York. A Republican, she represents the state's 61st Senate District, which consists of parts of Erie County and all of Genesee County. In January 2007, she was appointed to the post of Deputy Majority Leader for State/Federal Relations, making her the...

 and Erie County Comptroller Nancy Naples
Nancy Naples
Nancy A. Naples, a member of the Board of Directors of Amtrak, is the former Commissioner of Motor Vehicles in New York. Naples was appointed State Motor Vehicles Commissioner by then-Gov. George Pataki in January 2006 following a 12-year political career in Western New York...

, Pataki nominated Judge Mary Donohue
Mary Donohue
Mary O’Connor Donohue is a Judge of the New York Court of Claims and a former Lieutenant Governor of New York State. She was first elected lieutenant governor in 1998 and reelected 2002 on a ticket with Gov. George Pataki.-Teaching and legal career:...

 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 Nanula
Anthony Nanula is a political leader and businessman in Buffalo, New York. He has served as a state senator and city comptroller.Nanula, a local businessman, was elected in a 1994 special election to serve in the State Senate, succeeding Anthony Masiello who resigned from the Senate to become...

 of Buffalo reportedly considered the race and then decided against running. Plattsburgh Mayor Clyde Rabideau, Brighton Town Supervisor Sandra Frankel
Sandra Frankel
Sandra L. Frankel is the Supervisor of the Town of Brighton, Monroe County, New York. A former school board member, Frankel is a longtime town supervisor....

, 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 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
Sam Hoyt
William B. Hoyt III , better known as Sam Hoyt, was a member of the New York State Assembly. Hoyt represented the 144th Assembly district, consisting of part of Buffalo, New York, and all of Grand Island, New York...

 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
Tom Golisano
Blase Thomas Golisano is an American businessman and philanthropist. He is the founder of Paychex, the second-largest payroll processor in the United States and former co-owner of the Buffalo Sabres hockey team and of the Buffalo Bandits lacrosse team...

 ran with Laureen Oliver
Laureen Oliver
Laureen Oliver is an 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 Monroe County Chairwoman of United We Stand America.Oliver...

. 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
New York State Attorney General
The New York State Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of New York. The office has been in existence in some form since 1626, under the Dutch colonial government of New York.The current Attorney General is Eric Schneiderman...

 instead. The reports said he had considered New York Secretary of State Randy Daniels
Randy Daniels
Randy Daniels is an American journalist and educator who served as Secretary of State of New York from 2001 to 2005. He resides in Westchester, New York and is currently employed as Vice Chairman of , a real estate investing firm....

 and Erie County Executive Joel Giambra
Joel Giambra
Joel Giambra is the former County Executive in Erie County, New York. The county seat is Buffalo, New York, where Giambra currently resides.-Early life:...

 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, and former New York City Consumer Affairs Commissioner Jane Steiner Hoffman. Commissioner Hoffman dropped out of the race for medical reasons, and Supervisor Frankel dropped out for party unity. State Comptroller Carl McCall
Carl McCall
Herman Carl McCall is a former Comptroller of New York State and was the Democratic candidate for state governor in 2002. He is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for numerous corporations. He received a B.A. degree from Dartmouth...

 selected Mr. Mehiel as his running mate and former HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...

 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/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
Green Party (United States)
The Green Party of the United States is a nationally recognized political party which officially formed in 1991. It is a voluntary association of state green parties. Prior to national formation, many state affiliates had already formed and were recognized by other state parties...

 nominated Jennifer Daniels for Lt. Governor on a ticket with Stanley Aronowitz
Stanley Aronowitz
Stanley Aronowitz is professor of sociology, cultural studies, and urban education at the CUNY Graduate Center. He is also a veteran political activist and cultural critic and an advocate for organized labor.-Social Text:...

.

The Pataki/Donohue ticket defeated the McCall/Mehiel and the Golisano/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 David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...

 of Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...

 won the Democratic nomination. Rockland County
Rockland County, New York
Rockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...

 Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef
C. Scott Vanderhoef
C. Scott Vanderhoef is the County Executive of Rockland County, New York and was the Republican and Conservative Party nominee for Lieutenant Governor of New York in the 2006 statewide elections...

 won the Republican nomination. The Green Party candidate was Alison Duncan.

Former candidates for the Democratic lieutenant governor nomination were attorney Leecia Eve
Leecia Eve
Leecia Roberta Eve is an attorney in New York. A resident of Fort Washington, Maryland and former resident of Buffalo, NY, Eve is the daughter of former Assembly member Arthur Eve and was candidate for Lieutenant Governor of New York during the 2006 election. She was a Senior Policy adviser to...

 of Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

, Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli
Thomas DiNapoli
Thomas P. DiNapoli is the 54th Comptroller of the state of New York. He is a former state assemblyman in New York, who was appointed as New York State Comptroller on February 7, 2007. He was formerly the Chairman of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee. DiNapoli is a Democrat from...

 of Nassau County
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...

, Dr. Jon Cohen
Jon Cohen
Jon R. Cohen, M.D. is a physician currently the Senior Vice President , and Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Hospital Services line of business of Quest Diagnostics , a company specializing in diagnostic testing, information, and services.. Dr...

 of Nassau County
Nassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...

 and Wappinger Town Supervisor Joseph Ruggiero of Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...

. Former candidates for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor were New York Secretary of State Christopher Jacobs
Christopher Jacobs (politician)
Christopher L. Jacobs was Secretary of State of New York and was twice a candidate for the Republican nomination for Lieutenant Governor of New York as the running mate of both former Massachusetts Gov. William Weld in 2006 and Steve Levy in 2010...

 of Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

, Town Supervisor Tim Demler of Wheatfield
Wheatfield, New York
Wheatfield is a town in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 18,117 at the 2010 census. The name stems from the agricultural use of the town lands: Growing Wheat....

, and former State Senator Nancy Larraine Hoffmann
Nancy Larraine Hoffmann
Nancy Larraine Hoffmann is a former Republican State Senator from Central New York State.-Career:She was first elected in 1984 to the New York State Senate representing Syracuse, New York and its surrounding environs, including suburbs and rural areas, as a Democrat...

 of Madison County
Madison County, New York
Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 73,442. It is named after James Madison, fourth President of the United States of America...

. The Spitzer/Paterson ticket defeated the Faso/Vanderhoef ticket in the election for Governor and Lieutenant Governor
New York gubernatorial election, 2006
The New York gubernatorial election of 2006 was a race for the governorship of this U.S. state. Eliot Spitzer was elected on November 7, 2006, succeeding Governor George Pataki, the three-term incumbent, who did not run for a fourth term....

 on November 7.

2008 vacancy and 2009 appointment

After Lieutenant Governor David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...

 succeeded to the governorship of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...

 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
Joseph Bruno
Joseph L. Bruno is an American businessman, and Republican politician. He was the Temporary President of the New York State Senate and its majority leader. Most recently he also served as Lieutenant Governor of New York ....

, Dean Skelos
Dean Skelos
Dean G. Skelos is an American politician and the Republican Temporary President and Majority Leader of the New York State Senate. Skelos represents District 9 in the State Senate, which comprises the southwest region of Nassau County. He is the second Long Islander to hold the position of Majority...

, Malcolm Smith and, during the 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis
2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis
The 2009 New York State Senate leadership crisis was a political dispute in New York that began on June 8, 2009. The State Senate was controlled by Democrats with a 32-30 majority, when a bipartisan coalition of all 30 Republicans and two Democrats, Hiram Monserrate and Pedro Espada Jr., voted to...

, Pedro Espada Jr.

On July 8, 2009, prior to the recapture of Senate control by the Democrats, Governor Paterson appointed Richard Ravitch
Richard Ravitch
Richard Ravitch is an American politician and businessman who served as the 75th Lieutenant Governor of New York from 2009 to 2010. He was appointed to the position in July 2009 by New York Governor David Paterson...

 to the position of Lieutenant Governor to resolve the month-long political stalemate in the State Senate. However, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Cuomo
Andrew Mark Cuomo is the 56th and current Governor of New York, having assumed office on January 1, 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the 64th New York State Attorney General, and was the 11th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development...

 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.)
New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division
The Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division is the intermediate appellate court in New York State. The Appellate Division is composed of four departments .*The First Department covers the Bronx The Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division is the intermediate...

 rejected unanimously the appointment. However, on September 22, in a "stunning reversal," the New York Court of Appeals
New York Court of Appeals
The New York Court of Appeals is the highest court in the U.S. 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 to 14-year terms...

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

List of Lieutenant Governors

For a list of Lieutenant Governors, see List of Governors of New York.

See also

  • New York gubernatorial elections: the results of the elections for governor and lieutenant governor since 1777

External links

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