“We’re in a moment when the Democratic Party is looking for leadership who aren’t just going to go to Washington or go to their state capitals and be part of the problem, but who are going to be part of the solution.” said DLGA Chair Lt. Gov. Austin Davis
ICYMI, the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association is supporting the four Democratic lieutenant governors currently running in open primaries this cycle. With strong executive experience and a track record running in competitive elections, these lieutenant governors are leading the charge for the next generation of statewide leaders—supported by DLGA’s investments in their campaigns and long-term success.
Key points from NOTUS:
● The DLGA just came back into being recently after years of dormancy. Like the official campaign arms for Democratic governors, senators and House members, it recruits new candidates and tries to grow the number of lieutenant governor seats held by Democrats. But unlike those groups, the DLGA is actively helping lieutenant governors run for different offices in open Democratic primaries
● The 2026 cycle will be the first major push for this plan, though the group spent some money on races in 2024.
● A source at the DLGA said the group has already maxed out in hard money contributions to Flanagan, Stratton, Gilchrist and Kounalakis. The bulk of the support the open primary candidates get will come from an independent expenditure group. It’s too early to know exactly how big that total will be, but the expectation is seven figures of political spending in each targeted race.
● Stratton said the DLGA’s efforts on her behalf are helping both her campaign for Senate and the public’s perception of the job she currently has.
● “The DLGA has been instrumental in elevating the role of Lt. Governor, and ensuring that my fellow Democratic Lt. Governors and I are connected, prepared, and supported,” she said in a statement. The DLGA “recognizes the Lt. Governorship as a vital platform for public service and future leadership.”
NOTUS: Democratic Lieutenant Governors Want to Be Their Party’s Future
As Democrats continue to look around for a way out of the political wilderness, a group representing the nation’s seconds-in-command is suggesting primary voters consider making 2026 the Year of the Lieutenant Governor.
“The LGs are a uniquely dynamic, diverse group of individuals and we should be the leaders that folks are elevating,” Austin Davis, the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania and chair of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association, told NOTUS in a recent interview. “We’re in a moment when the Democratic Party is looking for leadership who aren’t just going to go to Washington or go to their state capitals and be part of the problem, but who are going to be part of the solution.”
His candidates, Davis said, his fellow LGs, “are very exciting folks.”
The DLGA just came back into being recently after years of dormancy. Like the official campaign arms for Democratic governors, senators and House members, it recruits new candidates and tries to grow the number of lieutenant governor seats held by Democrats. But unlike those groups, the DLGA is actively helping lieutenant governors run for different offices in open Democratic primaries.
The 2026 cycle will be the first major push for this plan, though the group spent some money on races in 2024.
The “open primaries” distinction is incredibly important to the project, sources close to the DLGA said. When Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado of New York announced his intention to primary a fellow Democrat, Gov. Kathy Hochul, the DLGA pointedly said it was staying out.
“We will offer our support only to Lt. Governors seeking higher office in open primaries,” the group said in a statement.
The DLGA’s political operation expects to spend large sums backing candidates in high-profile primary campaigns like that of Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, running for the open Senate seat in Minnesota, and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, running in the open Senate primary in Illinois. The group is also spending money in high-profile gubernatorial open primaries like the one in Michigan, where Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist is running to replace the term-limited Gretchen Whitmer. The DLGA has also formally endorsed Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis in the open California gubernatorial primary (though Kounalakis has reportedly intimated she’d drop her bid if Kamala Harris enters the race, as many expect).
A source at the DLGA said the group has already maxed out in hard money contributions to Flanagan, Stratton, Gilchrist and Kounalakis. The bulk of the support the open primary candidates get will come from an independent expenditure group. It’s too early to know exactly how big that total will be, but the expectation is seven figures of political spending in each targeted race.
Stratton said the DLGA’s efforts on her behalf are helping both her campaign for Senate and the public’s perception of the job she currently has.
“The DLGA has been instrumental in elevating the role of Lt. Governor, and ensuring that my fellow Democratic Lt. Governors and I are connected, prepared, and supported,” she said in a statement. The DLGA “recognizes the Lt. Governorship as a vital platform for public service and future leadership.”
This is, essentially, the point, according to the DLGA. Davis acknowledged that lieutenant governors are generally not top of mind in the public eye, to say the least. But he says the work they do — often working closely with legislatures and local-level stakeholders to sell big policy plans — gives them exactly the kind of background Democrats desperate for candidates who can both win and accomplish things after they win should want.
“This is a little bit of a problem in our politics. If you keep your head down and you’re doing the work, people don’t know you necessarily, right?” Davis said. “These folks have run statewide campaigns. They have state-level executive experience and leadership.”
Many of these open primaries are expected to be referenda on the future of the Democratic Party. Kevin Holst, executive director of the DLGA, says his group will be a part of that conversation on two fronts: incubating new candidates for higher-profile offices by supporting their runs for lieutenant governor and then supporting them again if they choose to make another move.
“We’re doing our part to continue to expand the map of lieutenant governors,” Holst said. “But we also made the commitment to support and uplift our lieutenant governors and whatever it is they do next. This is the next natural iteration of our work for them.”
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