Two Democratic Lt. Governors, Minnesota Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan and Michigan Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist, announced their run for statewide office this past month. The Democratic Lt. Governors Association has committed support to each campaign, as we look forward to helping elect the next generation Governors and Senators across the country.
NBC News: Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist launches a run for governor, setting up a major 2026 race
Benson and Gilchrist are expected to get outside help in their primary battle. EMILY’s List, a group that backs Democratic women who support abortion rights, has endorsed Benson, and the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association plans a ‘seven-figure’ investment to boost Gilchrist, according to its executive director, Kevin Holst.
Lieutenant governors “are the Democratic Party’s bench, and with these types of investments, we look forward to helping to elect the next generation of Governors and Senators across the country,” DLGA chair Austin Davis, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, said in a written statement to NBC News.
See more below about how Democratic lieutenant governors are leading across the country:
PENNSYLVANIA
Berks Weekly: Lt. Gov. Austin Davis visits West Reading to highlight investments in community-based programs
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis heard today from law enforcement officials, victims service providers and health care workers at Reading Hospital, which recently was awarded more than $600,000 in state grant funding to expand and enhance its hospital-based violence intervention program.
WGAL: Pennsylvania awards $45M in grants to fight gun violence
“We’re funding programs to try to eliminate gun violence in our communities, right at the hospital bed,” said Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, the chair of the PCCD. “Oftentimes, we know gunshot victims come into a hospital for support, and we want to make sure that we get them the help they need, not only from the hospital perspective, but to make sure that they’re no longer a victim of gun violence and make sure they have the opportunity to live in a community that’s safe and free from gun violence.”
WDAC: Lt. Gov. Austin Davis Discusses Gun Violence
Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis met with law enforcement officials and healthcare providers at Reading Hospital Monday to discuss response to and prevention of gun violence in PA.
MINNESOTA
CBS News: Advanced payment option for child tax credit gives families flexibility, officials say
Friday morning, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan highlighted the child tax credit advanced payment option during a press conference in St. Paul.
It’s a new option that Flanagan touted as the first of its kind in the nation. She delivered that message Friday morning at Prepare and Prosper, an organization that provides free tax services for those in need.
“This is the program that alone is expected to cut child poverty by one-third in our state,” said Flanagan.
She said more than 220,000 Minnesotans claimed the credit in 2024 and received on average a little more than $1,200 in return. Department of Revenue Commissioner Paul Marquart says the new advanced payment option would take it a step further for families, simply by checking a box when they file.
RHODE ISLAND
NBC10: Lt. Gov. Matos hosts community conversation on immigrants’ rights
Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos is hosting a community conversation on immigrants’ rights on Monday. It comes on the heels of a nationwide immigration crackdown. Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos is hosting a community conversation on immigrants’ rights on Monday. The lieutenant governor says her office has been getting more calls from concerned immigrants.
ILLINOIS
The Register-Mail: Lt. Gov. Stratton: Trump ‘chaos’ not helping working families
Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton was in Rockford on Monday as she contemplates a potential run for the U.S. Senate and launched a series of statewide panel discussions to introduce her new Level Up PAC.
Stratton said she would consider a run for U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat if the 80-year-old chooses to retire following his fifth term in office. The PAC is a way to beef up her political infrastructure while supporting candidates and causes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s election.
“One month in, we’re seeing the chaos that’s not helping people’s lives get better,” Stratton said. “We have not heard anything about lowering costs. We have not heard anything about protecting healthcare. None of the things that were promised on the campaign. We have seen none of it happen for working families.”
N’DIGO: Juliana Stratton – Illinois First Black Lieutenant Governor
Juliana Stratton has served the State of Illinois as the 48th Lieutenant Governor since 2019. She previously served as a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019.
Stratton is the first African-American woman to become Illinois lieutenant governor and the fourth woman lieutenant governor overall. In this position, she uses her knowledge and compassion to create opportunities and widen paths that improve communities around the state. She is determined to demonstrate that moving forward is a team effort and is highly qualified.
WISCONSIN
Times Register: Rodriguez promotes focus on increasing health care workers
On Feb. 25, Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez traveled to Prairie du Chien to meet with healthcare providers and professionals.
“I had met with Crossing Rivers more than a year ago. I was working on a health care workforce task force, and I had done tours of different health care systems in different parts of the state to talk to them about what their needs were,” Rodriguez said.
The task force met with healthcare experts and leaders throughout the state of Wisconsin before delivering their report to Governor Tony Evers this past August.
WCLO: Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez visits Edgerton Hospital to talk health care, state budget
Thursday, Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez visited Edgerton Hospital to tout workforce development plans in the governor’s budget that focus on a statewide nurse shortage.
Rodriguez says Evers’ budget would pay for more clinical instructors, simulation labs and forgivable loans to ease a nationwide bottleneck for those pursuing nursing degrees.
HAWAI`I
Honolulu Star-Advertiser: On Politics: As Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke surely knows, being No. 2 means biding time
Hawaii’s Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke notes on her own web page that the job is for someone who ‘acts as Governor when the Governor is absent from the State or is unable to exercise and discharge the powers and duties of office.’ You need to have the job for continuous government leadership to be assured, but few if any parents dream of their kid growing up to be second in command.
OREGON
KOIN: Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read talks election integrity, state agency audits
Newly elected Secretary of State, former State Treasurer and former state legislator Tobias Read joined this week’s Eye on Northwest Politics to discuss Oregon election integrity and more.
The Skanner News: Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read Announces New Protections for Oregon’s Voter Rolls
As Gov. Tina Kotek lifted the pause on the transmission of Oregon Motor Voter Data from Oregon Driver and Motor Vehicle Services (DMV) to the Secretary of State’s office (SoS), Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read announced new protections he is putting into place to help prevent future errors in Oregon’s voter registration process.
“The new protections we are adding today will help us catch and fix government data entry errors faster. These are first steps, focused on getting the fundamentals right. I will continue to dig into the system and take action whenever I can to strengthen our voter rolls and prevent future mistakes. Our highest priority is – and must always be – protecting the integrity of Oregonians’ fair, secure, and accessible elections,” said Read.
NORTH CAROLINA
WXII 12 NEWS: North Carolina’s lieutenant governor supporting community colleges through Future Ready tour
Workforce development programs across the state are getting major support from state leaders. Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt stopped by Guilford Technical Community College as part of her “Future-Ready Community College Tour.” “This is absolutely what we need in the state,” she said. “Because it’s the workforce of the future.” Students at GTCC showed her around their facilities, giving her a firsthand look at the skills they’re developing.
High Point Enterprise: Hunt turns spotlight on GTCC training
Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt made Guilford Technical Community College’s advanced-manufacturing training center the second stop in what is planned as a statewide tour in support of the workforce training provided by all 58 North Carolina community colleges.
Goldsboro News-Argus: Starting at BCC, Lt. Gov. Hunt sets out to tour NC’s 58 community colleges
North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt paid a visit to Brunswick Community College on Thursday, Feb. 27 to launch her Future-Ready Community College Tour, in which Hunt plans to visit all 58 community colleges across the state.
The Daily Tar Heel: Lt. Gov Rachel Hunt announces policy priorities, implementation
On Feb. 13, North Carolina Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt announced Future-Ready North Carolina , a plan to bolster workforce development by increasing access to affordable child care and reworking community college programs.
“I think it’s because of our programs — that turn out high quality graduates ready for jobs — that we see a lot of investment coming into the state, and a lot of businesses are growing here,” Daniel Gilligan, director of policy at Hunt’s office, said.
According to a press release by Hunt’s office, one of the plan’s main focuses will be child care. The plan includes the N.C. Tri-Share Program, which splits child care costs evenly between parents, their employers and the state government. Hunt plans to renew the existing programs and fund new ones.
KENTUCKY
KUSA: Lt. Gov. Coleman checks in on ORX Project in Henderson
Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman made a trip to Henderson on Tuesday to check in on how the I-69 Ohio River Crossing project was coming along.
“To be able to see this progress happening here in Western Kentucky, to know what it’s going to do for the economy and for all of the businesses, local and otherwise, throughout this region is going to be huge,” she said. “I know this is a very anticipated project here in this region.”
Appalachian News-Express: Lt. Gov. Coleman visits flood-ravaged Pike County
‘It always takes your breath away,’ Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman said as she looked at the aftermath of the Feb. 15–16 flood. ‘Unfortunately, we have been here before. But it is also fortunate that we have been here because we have worked with both FEMA and the Kentucky Emergency Management to make sure our folks get what they need.
“I have been on the phone several times with the judge, the mayor and both superintendents,” she continued. “Now, today, I am here to follow up. We want folks to know we are here and we will be here until the job is done.”
MASSACHUSSETTS
InFocus: Interview with Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll
Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll took office in January 2023, part of a historic election with Governor Maura Healey as the first all-women executive team to lead Massachusetts.
As Lt. Governor, she has headed several initiatives implemented by the administration on behalf of residents and businesses.
Western Mass News: Driscoll: lowering energy costs remains high on agenda
In the last few months, Massachusetts residents have seen energy bills skyrocket to new highs. A small rate decrease went into effect on Monday, but on Friday, we asked Massachusetts Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll what’s being done long term and she told us that lowering energy costs is something that’s very high on their agenda.
Driscoll told us that the governor’s staff is in regular talks with both the DPU and utility companies, like Eversource, as well to let them know how important it is that they take action now. She also told us their office will be putting out legislation very soon that will be aimed at reducing costs for the everyday homeowner in Massachusetts.
