The lieutenant governor of New Jersey is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the state government of New Jersey in the United States. The lieutenant governor is the second highest-ranking official in the state government and is elected concurrently on a ticket with the governor for a four-year term.“The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be elected conjointly and for concurrent terms by the legally qualified voters of this State, and the manner of election shall require each voter to cast a single vote for both offices.” - Excerpt from the New Jersey State Constitution, The position itself does not carry any powers or duties other than to be next in the order of succession, but the state constitution requires that the lieutenant governor also be appointed to serve as the head of a cabinet-level department or administrative agency within the governor's administration, other than the position of Attorney General.
Prior to 2010, New Jersey was one of a few states in the United States that did not have a lieutenant governor to succeed to the governorship in the event of a vacancy in that office. For most of the state's (and previously the colony's) history, a vacancy in the position of governor was filled by the president of the State Senate (called the "Legislative Council" from 1776 to 1844), or during the colonial era by the president of the royal governor's Provincial Council.
After several episodes during which the state had multiple "acting governors" in the span of a few years following the resignations of Governor Christine Todd Whitman in 2001 and Governor James E. McGreevey in 2004, popular sentiment and political pressure from the state's residents and news media outlets sought a permanent and tenable solution to the issue of gubernatorial succession. A referendum put before the state's voters authorized the amendment of the state's constitution in 2006. This amendment provided for the state's first lieutenant governor to be elected in the state's 2009 gubernatorial election.
Republican Kim Guadagno was the first to serve in the post. Guadagno, previously the sheriff in Monmouth County, was chosen by Governor Chris Christie to be his running mate on the Republican Party ticket in the 2009 election. In 2017, Democratic New Jersey Assemblywoman and former Speaker of the Assembly Sheila Oliver was elected lieutenant governor as the running mate of Phil Murphy; she was sworn in as the state's second lieutenant governor on January 16, 2018 and served until her death on August 1, 2023. Then–Secretary of State Tahesha Way was appointed lieutenant governor on September 8, 2023. In 2025, then-President of Centenary University Dale Caldwell was elected lieutenant governor as the running mate of Governor Mikie Sherrill on the Democrat Party ticket in the 2025 election; he was sworn in as the first male lieutenant governor on January 20, 2026.
Gubernatorial succession (1776–2001)
Prior to the creation of the modern lieutenant governor position, the only state-wide, non-federal, elected official was the governor of New Jersey. New Jersey was one of eight states without a lieutenant governor and one of four states without any other state-wide elected official (including county prosecutors). Further, the state constitution does not provide for elections for state-wide cabinet-level positions—it grants the governor the power to appoint the "principal department heads" for the executive branch.New Jersey State Constitution (1947). Article V, Section IV, paragraphs 1, 2, and 3. For these reasons, New Jersey's governor was considered the most powerful elected chief executive in the United States.Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey — Center on the American Governor, Eagleton Institute of Politics. Spotlight: NJN Airs Special on the Power of the (New Jersey) Governor . Retrieved August 30, 2013.Magyar, Mark J. "Where all the power sits in New Jersey". The Star-Ledger, May 17, 2011. Citing a commentary by former NJN news anchor Kent Manahan in New Jersey Network documentary film The Power of the Governor (2011) who says: "Since 1947, the New Jersey governorship has been a bold experiment in executive power...The 1947 constitution made New Jersey’s governor the most powerful in the nation." Retrieved August 30, 2013.State of New Jersey. About NJ Government. The state mitigates this claim by saying "one of the most powerful" — Quote: "Constitutionally, New Jersey’s chief executive is one of the most powerful governors in the United States." Retrieved August 30, 2013.
In the event of a vacancy in the governor's office, the state constitution specified that the president of the New Jersey State Senate, the upper chamber of the state legislature, would assume the role of acting governor without needing to resign from state senate. Further, if the acting governorship filled by the state senate president were vacated or that person could not assume the office, the governor would be succeeded by the speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly, the state legislature's lower chamber.Acker, Carolyn. "Gov. Kean's Proposals With Lieutenant Governor, N.J. Would Join 43 States". The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 16, 1986. Retrieved August 28, 2013. This order of succession was included in the first state constitution in 1776,New Jersey State Constitution (1776), Article 7. reinstated in the subsequent 1844 constitution,New Jersey State Constitution (1844), Article V, Section 12. and kept in the 1947 Constitution until the 2006 amendment.New Jersey State Constitution (1947), the original text for Article V, Section 1, Paragraph 6 (before amendment effective January 17, 2006).
On several occasions in the state's history, proposals for a lieutenant governor were raised and rejected. Governor Alfred E. Driscoll backed a proposal to create the office in 1947 as the state was rewriting its constitution at a constitutional convention held at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Driscoll's proposal was not approved.Staff. "Jersey Governor Asks More Power; Creation of Executive Aide Needed, Constitutional Convention Is Told". The New York Times, June 25, 1947. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
In 1986, Governor Thomas Kean proposed the creation of the office in a move seen at the time as a political maneuver "apparently to preclude the possibility of a Democratic successor". At the time, Kean was seen as a potential candidate in the 1988 presidential or U.S. Senate candidate, and the state senate president was a Democrat.Editorial staff. "In Lieu of a Lieutenant Governor" (editorial). The New York Times, January 20, 1986. Retrieved August 30, 2013. Kean's proposal was ultimately unsuccessful.Felzenberg, Alvin S. Governor Tom Kean: from the New Jersey Statehouse to the 9-11 Commission. (New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2006), 296, 494.
Creation of the office (2001–present) Resignations and succession controversies (2001–2006)
New Jersey experienced two periods during which several politicians assumed the governorship within the span of a few years. In 2001, Governor Christine Todd Whitman resigned after being appointed by George W. Bush to the position of administrator of the federal Environmental Protection Agency.The White House. "Christie Todd Whitman: Former Environmental Protection Agency, Administrator" (archived U.S. government website). Retrieved August 30, 2013. Senate President Donald DiFrancesco became acting governor following Whitman's resignation on January 31, 2001,Staff. "DiFrancesco Sworn In as Acting Governor". The New York Times, February 1, 2001. Retrieved August 30, 2013. and remained in office until he retired from the state senate on January 8, 2002.Mansnerus, Laura. "New Jersey to have 4 Chief Executives over 8 jumbled days". The New York Times, January 7, 2002.
In an unusual political circumstance, the 2001 legislative elections returned a senate with equal numbers of Republicans and Democrats, with each party having 20 senators.Kocieniewski, David. "The Hours of Power Of an Acting Governor; Deconstructing Bennett's 3-Day Legacy". The New York Times, January 12, 2002. Retrieved August 30, 2013. Both sides negotiated to choose two senators from their respective parties to serve as co-presidents. Because of an 8-day gap between the seating of the new state legislature and the inauguration of Governor-elect Jim McGreevey, four men held the position of acting governor: Outgoing Senate President Donald DiFrancesco continued to serve until 12:00 noon on January 8, 2002, until the new senate session was convened. New Jersey's Attorney General John J. Farmer Jr. was acting governor for 90 minutes on January 8, 2002, while awaiting the swearing in of the next senate president. Senate co-President John O. Bennett, a Republican, served as acting governor from January 8–12, 2002. Senate co-President Richard Codey, a Democrat, served as acting governor from January 12, 2002, until McGreevey was sworn in as governor at noon on January 15, 2002.
After Governor Jim McGreevey resigned in the midst of a sex scandal in 2004,Whelan, Jeff and Hassell, John. "McGreevey Quits, Admits Gay Affair: Ex-aide expected to sue, claiming sexual harassment Governor plans to leave office Nov. 15". The Star-Ledger, August 13, 2004. Retrieved August 30, 2013.Mansnerus, Laura. "New Jersey Governor Resigns, Disclosing a Gay Affair" in The New York Times (August 13, 2004). Retrieved August 30, 2013. Richard Codey served again as acting governor from November 15, 2004.Mansnerus, Laura and Beston, Josh. "Transition Ends: A Quiet Goodbye for McGreevey". The New York Times, November 16, 2004. Retrieved August 30, 2013. Codey was the only acting governor during this time, as the 2003 legislative elections had given the Democrats outright control of the state senate.Mansnerus, Laura, et al. "A Governor Resigns: Overview; McGreevey Steps Down After Disclosing a Gay Affair". The New York Times, August 13, 2004. Quote: "[McGreevey's] victory in 2001 was a landslide, and his fortunes seemed favorable as New Jersey's Democrats also captured the State Assembly and began to retake Trenton after a decade in the minority. Last fall they also gained control of the State Senate." Retrieved August 30, 2013. Codey's tenure ended with the inauguration of Governor Jon Corzine on January 17, 2006.Jones, Richard Lezin and Benson, Josh. "A Sentimental Last Address as a Temporary Governor". The New York Times, January 11, 2006. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
Public attention was directed to the issue of succession in the wake of the resignations of Whitman and McGreevey during so brief a period. The response of the general public and the media was that the situation of acting governors and resignations made the situation untenable and that the state needed a permanent solution such as a lieutenant governor. There were three chief arguments in favor of establishing a lieutenant governor: That the senate president was chosen by the members of the state senate, not elected by voters—eligible to be acting governor solely by virtue of having been elected by the citizens in only one of the state's forty legislative districts.Editorial Staff. "New Jersey's Succession Mess" (editorial). The New York Times, August 21, 2004. The Times called the succession "undemocratic" and observed that "having the state run by someone whom the voters did not choose is in danger of becoming a habit in New Jersey," and that "the newly appointed governor, who in this case would be Mr. Codey, is constitutionally required to continue serving as president of the state senate – a clear threat to the whole idea of checks and balances." Retrieved August 30, 2013.