NC voters will choose a new lieutenant governor. What candidates say they’ll do

Find results from North Carolina’s lieutenant governor primary elections here.

North Carolina’s lieutenant governor is a statewide elected office that doesn’t come with a lot of power, but it can command a lot of attention — and a six-figure salary.

There are 14 candidates for the job in the primary election on March 5: three Democrats and 11 Republicans.

The governor and lieutenant governor are not necessarily from the same political party, as they run separately. Current Lt. Gov. Mark K. Robinson is a Republican and is not seeking reelection. Instead, he is running for governor.

Just as lieutenant governors have sought the governor’s office as a next political step, some lieutenant governor candidates are state lawmakers or former lawmakers. Among the candidates are Republican Rep. Jeffrey Elmore, Democratic Sen. Rachel Hunt and former Republican Sen. Deanna Ballard.

The lieutenant governor:

• Sits on the Council of State along with nine other statewide elected officials, including the governor and attorney general.
• Sits on the state boards of education and community colleges.
• Presides over the state Senate as Senate president. However, the lieutenant governor votes in the Senate only to break a tie. When the lieutenant governor does not preside over Senate sessions, the Senate president pro tempore, currently Republican Phil Berger, presides insted.
• Has offices in the Hawkins-Hartness House on Blount Street, about a block from the Legislative Building and two doors down from the Executive Mansion, where the governor lives and works.

We sent candidate questionnaires out to all candidates, and have published their answers to questions about policy as well as their experience, education and campaign information.

Read their answers, with links to all those who responded, here:

Democrats running for NC Lt. Gov.

Ben Clark

Rachel Hunt

Mark H. Robinson

Republicans running for Lt. Gov.

Deanna Ballard

Peter Boykin

Rivera Douthit

Jeffrey Elmore

Marlenis Hernandez Novoa

Allen Mashburn

Jim O’Neill

Sam Page

Ernest T. Reeves

Hal Weatherman

Seth Woodall

This story was originally published February 20, 2024 at 5:50 AM.

Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan

The News & Observer

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Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan is the Capitol Bureau Chief for The News & Observer, leading coverage of the legislative and executive branches in North Carolina with a focus on the governor, General Assembly leadership and state budget. She has received the McClatchy President’s Award, N.C. Open Government Coalition Sunshine Award and several North Carolina Press Association awards, including for politics and investigative reporting.