In 43 states and four territories, this official is a statewide elected
lieutenant governor (In 2010
New Jersey elected its first
lieutenant governor). In three states and one territory, this official is the
state secretary of state. In four states, the
president of the state senate (the
upper house of the
state legislature) is first in line of succession; two of these officials (
Tennessee and
West Virginia) may statutorily use the title
lieutenant governor. Of the elected lieutenant governors, 26 are elected on a
ticket in the
general election with the gubernatorial candidate as a
running mate. Most states allow the governor to designate his or her running mate, but in some states, the governor and lieutenant governor run separately in the
primary election and are "paired" for the general election. In 17 other states, the lieutenant governor and the governor are elected separately and as a result may be of different
political parties. Lieutenant governors typically are
acting governor when the governor is out of state. Thirty lieutenant governor are presidents of the state Senate, and of these half may cast tie-breaking votes (mirroring the
Federal government of the United States, in which the
Vice President of the United States is the president of the
United States Senate). ==History==