Much of the media have justifiably been focused on Republican governance, but one overlooked component is how important lieutenant governors have been in fostering historic state dominance by Republicans.
Currently, there are 10 Republican governors who previously spent time as lieutenant governors. This experience has proved invaluable to their success in office.
Lieutenant governors are tasked with a variety of responsibilities that give them the experience needed to go on to become successful governors, whether it’s overseeing government agencies, presiding over their state Senate, or serving as a liaison for the state’s business community. Notably, in the past 25 years, 31 percent of governors had previously served as lieutenant governors.
Just this year alone, five lieutenant governors have ascended to the governor’s office. Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, R-Kan., is set to become the sixth once the Senate confirms Gov. Sam Brownback as an at-large U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
These newly-minted governors have not shied away from implementing the conservative reforms that Republicans have become used to seeing from their chief executives. Whether it’s educational reforms, fiscally-stable budgets, or infrastructure needs, these former lieutenant governors have stepped into office and brought about change that their constituents expected.
Republican lieutenant governors are already lining up to continue this trend as many Republican governors elected in the 2010 wave election are term-limited come 2018. With more than a dozen possible open Republican gubernatorial seats in 2018, voters should expect to see their lieutenant governors step up to build upon their predecessors’ legacy of lower taxes, balanced budgets, and less government regulation.
Nearly half of Americans live in states under total GOP control following West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s announcement that he would be changing his party affiliation to Republican. State Democratic officials were unwilling to work with Republicans to rewrite the state’s tax code, prompting Justice to switch. He will happily find his new party is much more willing to work with him to enact the conservative reforms that so many have benefited from under Republican leadership.
Republican governance in the states has brought about significant and substantial change for Americans living in the 34 states with Republican governors. From as far northeast as Maine to as far southwest as New Mexico, Americans have reaped the benefits of the pro-growth economic policies that Republican governors from around the country are implementing.
Polling indicates this too — A recent poll found that 23 of these 34 governors have approval ratings above 50 percent, and the top 10 highest approval ratings all belong to Republican governors from a broad cross section of the country.
The Republican Lieutenant Governors Association has played a critical role in building relationships with elected lieutenant governors and will continue to do so in 2018. By controlling 31 of the 45 lieutenant governors’ offices nationwide, the RLGA has directly contributed to building up the next batch of governors in the country.
Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison, R-Nev., is chair of the Republican Lieutenant Governor’s Association.
If you would like to write an op-ed for the Washington Examiner, please read our guidelines on submissions.
