Across the country, Democratic Lieutenant Governors have been leading efforts to ensure Americans can access IVF care in their states, tackle gun violence prevention and lower the cost of living through affordable housing and public transportation access.
See more highlights from our Lt. Govs. on how they continue to lead across the country:
MINNESOTA
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and several other state leaders are taking aim at discrimination against Minnesotans who receive financial help to pay for housing. LG Flanagan is seeking to outlaw discrimination against housing voucher recipients.
KAAL TV: Flanagan shares legislation targeting discrimination against housing voucher recipients
CONNECTICUT
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz celebrated International Transgender Day of Visibility by showing support for the trans and LGBTQ+ community at the Connecticut State Capitol. LG Bysiewicz also penned an op-ed celebrating Constance Baker Motley at the conclusion of Black History Month and the state of Women’s History month.
Darien Times Op-Ed: If Thurgood Marshall was ‘Mr. Civil Rights,’ then CT’s Constance Baker is “Ms. Civil Rights.”
As we begin Women’s History Month and close out Black History Month, we should honor the life and legacy of Constance Baker Motley, a trailblazing lawyer, politician and jurist, who remains largely overlooked despite her significant contributions to the civil rights movement and the fight for equality in America.
Hartford Courant: CT Lt. Gov. to trans community: ‘We see you, we respect you, and we will keep fighting for you’
“We are so proud of this beautiful, vibrant community,” Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said. “Some people think that flag raisings are not important, and I would respectfully and strongly disagree.”
The transgender pride flag flits in the wind Thursday above the Connecticut State Capitol. Officials raised the flag in honor of International Transgender Day of Visibility.
“This is an important symbol for our state. It says that our state supports the trans community (and) supports our LGBTQ+ community at a time when so many of our rights and so many in our community are under attack in the state and in our country,” Bysiewicz added. “By raising this flag, the governor and I want everyone in our state to know: We see you, we respect you, and we will keep fighting for you.”
PENNSYLVANIA
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis continues his push for an increase in public transit funding across the Commonwealth, while discussing the impact it continues to have on Pennsylvania’s economy. LG Davis also joined law enforcement recently in awarding $2 million in grants to local law enforcement agencies as they continue to tackle the epidemic of gun violence.
Millions of that would go towards Pittsburgh Regional Transit, which Lieutenant Governor Austin
Davis took a ride on Friday morning. However, there’s some criticism that much more money is going to systems on the east side of the state.
“Without transit, our region’s economy would come to a screeching halt,” Davis said.
Davis said that’s the key focus of their investments in transportation.
WHTM: Pennsylvania awards $2 million+ in grants to law enforcement
NORTH CAROLINA
A Public Policy Poll of the lieutenant governor’s race in North Carolina found a lead for Democratic State Sen. Rachel Hunt after hearing that the Republican candidates support a further ban on access to abortion in North Carolina.
This poll comes on the heels of Sen. Hunt’s overwhelming victory in the Democratic primary earlier this month. The DLGA recently announced plans for a $2 million investment in the race, as the North Carolina lieutenant governor’s race remains its number-one pick-up opportunity in 2024.
CBS 17: Poll finds abortion key in NC Lt. Governor’s race
Voters have yet to decide who will be their GOP choice on the fall ballot for North Carolina’s next Lt. Governor. One topic, abortion, could be key come November.
Out of eight candidates, Hal Weatherman and Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neil finished as the top two. Neither of them got the 30% plus 1 vote needed to be declared the winner in the March primary. They’ll face each other May 14 in a second primary.
On the Democratic side, state Senator Rachel Hunt was the decisive primary winner with 70.35% of the vote.
CALIFORNIA
In California, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis opened up the transgender voting center, serving as a safe and empowering place for transgender, non-binary and LGBTQA+ community members.
KCAL: Nation’s first transgender voting center opens in LA County
The first transgender voting center in the US will open up this election season in Los Angeles County.
“It’s a groundbreaking example of leaders in our state working to ensure that every Californian, regardless of gender identity or expression, has a safe and welcoming space to exercise their right to vote,” Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis said during a press conference on Thursday.
MICHIGAN
In Michigan, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist continues to push for an expansion in childcare funding, as well as continued efforts for gun violence prevention efforts. He also recently hosted a roundtable with doctors and lawmakers about the threats of IVF care across the country.
Lansing City Pulse: Gilchrist, doctors and lawmakers talk threats to IVF care
But Gilchrist, a Democrat, said efforts like the lawsuit Right to Life of Michigan has filed to throw out Proposal 3 is a part of a larger fight. What’s at stake is the various ways Michigan residents grow their families, including IVF.
“This lawsuit from Right to Life, it will end the practice of IVF in Michigan. It is an incredibly dangerous thing. The governor [Gretchen Whitmer] and I absolutely reject that,” Gilchrist said, adding that efforts from conservatives to take rights away from women and families are “disgusting.”
WKZO: Lt. Governor in Kalamazoo Tuesday to applaud efforts to reduce gun violence across Michigan
Gilchrist says new programs initiated to help the mentally ill, to create new jobs, housing and educational opportunities also helps, and so do 4 new laws that require background checks, require safe storage of guns, and ban those with domestic violence convictions and mental health issues from possessing guns.
The Lt. Governor also says everyone can play a role in helping identify those who may be a danger to themselves and others, and in safely storing guns to keep them from getting in the wrong hands.
ILLINOIS
Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton is leading an effort to help pregnant women in Illinois receive equitable access to health care.
WAND: Stratton advocates for equitable pregnancy, postpartum care during Senate hearing
“When Black women prepare to bring a life into this world, part of them prepares for the possibility of death too,” Stratton said. “Tell me, not as your Lt. Governor, but as the mother of four Black daughters, is that the best we can do?”
Stratton told the Senate Insurance Committee Tuesday night that the governor’s birth equity initiative is a promise to women that Illinois will honor their bodies and value their lives as much as the ones they birth.
MASSACHUSETTS
The Boston Globe profiled Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll and her work as second in command in Massachusetts. On issues from housing, to senior centers to working with mayors from all across the Commonwealth, LG Driscoll has emerged “as a powerful voice on policy and a deft hand in translating it on the ground, elevating a role that technically carries few formal responsibilities.”
