he North Carolina lieutenant governor’s race continues to heat up, as Rachel Hunt’s Republican opponent, Hal Weatherman, continues to refuse to denounce Mark Robinson and his scandal plagued campaign.
Rachel also launched her $2 million ad campaign in her bid to become North Carolina’s next lieutenant governor.
Read below how Democratic lieutenant governors are working everyday to deliver in their states, and how they are focused on delivering for Democrats in November.
NORTH CAROLINA
Rachel Hunt went on TV this week with an initial $2 million campaign with the ad “Whose Worse?”
Winston Salem Journal: Lieutenant governor’s race gets more scrutiny after controversies involving Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson
Weatherman has said during campaign and other public appearances that “every pro-abortion candidate in this election had a mother who chose life,” and “I would vote to take it all the way to conception, because I believe that.”
“I am pro-life and will advocate for a ‘heartbeat’ bill before the General Assembly, ending abortion when the heart of the unborn is first detected. I will support emergency pregnancy health clinics where love and compassion can be shown to women in a time of crisis.”
Meanwhile, Hunt said that “I will continue to stand up for reproductive rights and fight for access to comprehensive reproductive health care.”
Technician Online: State Senator Rachel Hunt seeks to ‘repair the dignity’ of lieutenant’s governor office
As North Carolina gears up for a pivotal election, State Senator Rachel Hunt is making her bid for the lieutenant governor’s office, emphasizing a need for greater attention to women’s and children’s causes.
Hunt, daughter of former Gov. Jim Hunt, the longest-serving governor in North Carolina history and namesake of James B. Hunt Library, has strong ties to NC State.
Hunt said she recalls fond memories of watching NC State basketball games with her father, including the iconic 1983 championship. Although Hunt graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, her connection to NC State runs deep, with Hunt’s son having graduated from the University’s mechanical engineering program.
CONNECTICUT
LG Susan Bysiewicz celebrated new facilities at the American School for the Deaf along with the upcoming increase to Connecticut’s minimum wage next year.
WE-HA: Sen. Murphy, Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz Celebrate Completion of New Dorms at American School for the Deaf
Less than a year after breaking ground for two new dormitories on its 35.5-acre West Hartford campus, the American School for the Deaf celebrated the project’s completion with U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz helping cut the ribbon along with ASD Executive Director Jeff Bravin, CHEFA Executive Director Jeanette Weldon, and several students.
Workforce development, training, and the support the students will receive are critical to the future of the state, she said. “This new residential space is going to allow you to continue this great mission that you are providing,” Bysiewicz said. “Thank you for having the vision and the tenacity to see that the students need more for independent living in the future and I know that you are committed to their success.”
WFSB Channel 3: CT’s minimum wage to increase in Jan. 2025
‘The minimum wage was established to provide a fair, livable baseline of income for those who work,’ said Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz. ‘But, for too long, while the nation’s economy grew, the income of minimum wage workers stayed flat, making already existing pay disparities even worse, especially for the already economically disadvantaged.
ILLINOIS
LG Stratton visited central and southern Illinois this week, highlighting the economic and agricultural opportunities across the state, and discussed her signature issue: Black maternal health.
WICS: Lt. Governor Stratton to tour Central and Southern Illinois
The trip highlights Lt. Governor Stratton’s commitment to uplifting communities across the state, driven by her role as Chair of the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council.
“Every Illinois community possesses unique assets, challenges and opportunities which is why engaging with residents where they are is so important,” said Lt. Governor Stratton. “Carbondale’s needs are different from Peoria’s and Chicago’s; it’s essential that leaders spend time understanding the complexity and diversity of our state so we can move forward together as a whole.”
ABC 7 Chicago: Illinois Lt. Governor discusses Black maternal health ahead of Power & Purpose luncheon
Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women.
Tragically, more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable.
This public health crisis is bringing together celebrities and state officials like Illinois Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton to sound the alarm.
WAND -TV: Lt. Governor Stratton and ILAFA to host Workforce Summit for a thriving Agri-Food industry
Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton and the Illinois Agri-Food Alliance are proactively addressing the future of agriculture with “A New and Future Workforce: An Agri-Food Summit.”
“Illinois is leading the way in the agri-food industry by nurturing a diverse and skilled workforce,” said Lt. Governor Stratton. “This summit is a critical investment in our future, ensuring that Illinois remains at the forefront of innovation and sustainability. As I often say, ‘Ag connects us all,’ and we’re building a brighter future for generations to come.”
KENTUCKY
Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman is aggressively campaigning against the school choice measure that is on the ballot in Kentucky.
Associated Press: Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman campaigns against school choice measure
Democratic Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman was in campaign mode Monday, railing against a ballot measure that would allow Kentucky tax money to go toward students attending private and charter schools.
The issue hits home for Coleman, a former public school teacher and administrator who has taken a lead role campaigning against the proposal on the statewide ballot. If a simple majority of Kentucky voters approve it next month, the measure would remove constitutional barriers that have blocked the state’s Republican-dominated Legislature from using public funds to support private school education.
Speaking at a union hall in Kentucky’s largest city, Coleman warned of dire consequences for public schools, especially in rural areas, if the measure wins approval. “We simply don’t have the resources to fund two separate systems of education,” Coleman said. “But also we shouldn’t be because public dollars should stay in public schools.”
MINNESOTA
Lt. Governor Flanagan continues to travel the country to mobilize Native voters for the Walz Harris campaign.
Public News Service: Early voting begins in AZ, as candidates court ‘powerful’ Native vote
“In 2020, we watched it come down to Arizona,” Flanagan recounted. “I know how powerful the Native vote was in that election and I anticipate that the Native vote will turn up and turn out yet again.”
Indigenous people account for about 6% of Arizona’s population While Native voters have typically leaned Democratic, Republicans are also aiming to engage them.
Mankato Free Press: Activities slated to honor Indigenous people
The highest-ranking Native American woman in elected office in the nation and Minnesota’s second-in-command led a get-out-the vote rally recently at the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. Peggy Flanagan was elected lieutenant governor in 2018 and reelected in 2022, both times as Tim Walz’s running mate.
Duluth News Tribune: Harris-Walz campaign kicks off a nationwide effort to reach Native voters
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan spoke Wednesday, Oct. 3, at the launch of ‘Native Americans for Harris-Walz,’ a new effort by the campaign to reach out to Native American voters. The midday event held was held at the Mystic Lake Event Center, a complex owned by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.
Flanagan is a citizen of the White Earth Nation, a tribal nation in the northwestern part of the state. She was elected alongside Gov. Tim Walz in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan greets a supporter at the nationwide launch of Native Americans for Harris-Walz on Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2024, at Mystic Lake Event Center in Prior Lake.
NEW YORK
Lt. Gov. Delgado recently had the opportunity to show New Yorkers the day in the life of the lieutenant governor.
CBS News: Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado wants to help New Yorkers “know their own power”
Antonio Delgado is New York’s current second in command, and CBS News New York’s Maurice DuBois had the opportunity to spend the day with him.
Twice in the last 16 years, New York’s governors have resigned amid scandal, and the lieutenant governor has had to step up. David Paterson assumed the governorship after Eliot Spitzer’s resignation in 2008, and Kathy Hochul replaced Andrew Cuomo in 2021.
Antonio Delgado is New York’s current second in command, and CBS News New York’s Maurice DuBois had the opportunity to spend the day with him.
“I think we represent a different mindset in terms of how we view power and what the role of service is,” Delgado said.
MASSACHUSETTS
LG Driscoll continues to highlight funding for universal pre-K across Massachusetts.
Yahoo: Western Massachusetts towns get grant money for universal pre-K
Last week, the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced grants for 30 school districts to partner with local community-based preschool programs.
‘I know how important access to high-quality preschool is for children, families, businesses, and communities,’ said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. ‘[The program is] highlighting our commitment to supporting cities and towns from Pittsfield to Cape Cod in meeting the needs of their residents and making Massachusetts a more affordable and equitable place to live, learn, work and play.’
PENNSYLVANIA
LG Davis continues to campaign on behalf of the Harris Walz ticket in Pennsylvania.
Butler Eagle: Democrats respond to Trump’s highly anticipated Butler County return
‘Donald Trump just spent two hours spreading misinformation because he’s got nothing to offer Pennsylvania,’ said Lt. Gov. Austin Davis in an Oct. 5 news release responding to Trump’s rally message. ‘His Project 2025 would rip away our freedoms and jack up costs with a national sales tax.
TribLive: Pa. Lt. Gov. Austin Davis stumps in Greensburg, touts Dem’s health care measures
Pennsylvania Lt. Governor Austin Davis touted health care policies pursued by the Biden-Harris administration and Democratic members of Congress during a Friday stop in Greensburg.
Davis met with local officials and patients at the Westmoreland County Labor Council headquarters at One Northgate Square as patients Diana Steck and Lisa Gephart and cancer survivor Laura Packard shared their health care experiences.
MICHIGAN
Lt. Governor Gilchrist continues to make the case for Kamala Harris in Michigan.
FOX 17: Lt. Gov. Gilchrist reflects on 2024 election cycle
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist spoke with FOX 17, saying he isn’t so sure Vance won.
“We’re seeing that in campaign offices all across the state of Michigan, people coming and wanting to volunteer, and more voters registering at a higher rate, especially more young voters taking advantage of our pre-registration that the voters of Michigan pushed the Legislature to sign into law,” says Gilchrist.
WISCONSIN
LG Rodriguez continues to fulfill her official duties and recently toured a new center that aides adults with disabilities.
STAR NEWS: Lt. Gov. Rodriguez learns about BRI during visit to Medford
For 50 years the staff at Black River Industries (BRI) has been serving individuals with disabilities and providing opportunities for them to achieve independence.
On Tuesday, Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez stopped in Medford and received a tour of BRI’s facility located on Jensen Dr. from director Amber Fallos. Lt. Gov. Rodriguez learned about BRI’s history and its continued growth.
BRI currently employs more than 180 staff meeting the needs of a growing client base seeking to utilize its services. During the tour, Fallos talked about the value of a state program that allows agencies and sheltered workshops to bid on state projects. BRI embroiders the uniform shorts used in the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. In addition it has a contract to package the spices used in the kitchens in state facilities.
