Over the next nine months, a pack of politicians, including state Rep. Dale Folwell of Winston-Salem, will spend lots of money debating each other and begging North Carolinians to pay attention to them — all as they seek an office that was stripped of much of its power more than 20 years ago.
The current occupant of the office, Democrat Walter Dalton, announced last week that he's running for governor – after Gov. Perdue announced she was not seeking another term.
The lieutenant governor's office still has enough strength that voters should pay close attention to elections for it. But it's not nearly as strong as it once was.
In 1989, following the election the previous November of Republican Jim Gardner, Senate Democrats who controlled the chamber stripped the office of almost all of its nonconstitutional powers.
The lieutenant governor is still an ex-officio member of the State Board of Education and the N.C. Board of Community Colleges. He or she also has the power to cast the deciding vote when the Senate ties, and parliamentary rulings from the lieutenant governor can make a major difference in how legislation proceeds.
It is also important to remember that the lieutenant governor is the first in line of succession should the governor die, become incapacitated or resign. And with the office comes a bully pulpit considerably more powerful than that of almost any other state official, except the governor.
So as the candidates for lieutenant governor file for office and then crisscross the state, it would behoove us all to pay some attention.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement