Here are the candidates to be the next NC lieutenant governor, and what the job means

North Carolina voters will choose the state’s next lieutenant governor on Election Day, Nov. 5.

Here’s what you need to know about the race.

▪ There is no incumbent, as current Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson is running for governor.

▪ North Carolina’s top-of-ballot statewide offices do not run as a ticket, so they are often of different parties — which has been the case for both of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s two terms in the Executive Mansion, with Robinson and Forest. If the lieutenant governor is from a different party, they are less likely to have any official events with the governor aside from monthly Council of State meetings. Those include the eight other statewide office holders, too.

▪ The job of the lieutenant governor doesn’t come with much power or control, but one important role is to preside over the state Senate as the Senate president. The LG only votes to break a tie, however. Often, the Senate president pro tempore presides, who is currently Republican Senate leader Phil Berger.

▪ The lieutenant governor is also acting governor if the governor leaves the state. They would also become governor if the governor resigns, dies or is otherwise removed from office.

▪ The term is four years long, and the salary is $168,384 annually.

▪ The job has been a stepping stone to governor for some former LGs, like former Democratic Gov. Bev Perdue. It was not one for former Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who ran for governor against Cooper in 2020 and lost.

▪ The lieutenant governor and their staff work in the Hawkins-Hartness House on Blount Street, about a block from the Legislative Building and two doors down from the Executive Mansion.

NC candidates for Lt. Gov. in 2024 election

Here are the candidates for lieutenant governor. You can find their answers to candidate questionnaires in our voter guide at newsobserver.com/voterguide.

▪ Republican Hal Weatherman, who was Forest’s former chief of staff and campaign manager;

▪ Democrat Rachel Hunt, who is a state senator and whose father Jim Hunt is a former governor;

▪ Wayne Jones of the Constitution Party.

▪ Libertarian Shannon Bray, who did not fill out our questionnaire.

Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan

The News & Observer

919-829-4877

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.