Blue Tide Rises in the States with 8 Lt. Governor Pickups

In a 2018 election with plenty of firsts, Democratic Lt. Governors picked up eight seats in this year’s elections, bringing the total from 14 to 22. These historic gains mean Democrats in these seats now represent a majority of the American population, including two U.S. territories.

“I am so proud of all our new lieutenant governors. They stepped forward this election to send a message to Donald Trump that we will be fighting back on his actions state by state,” said Democratic Lt. Governors Association (DLGA) Chairman and Virginia Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax. “Collectively, our statewide leaders now more fully reflect the states they represent and they will be listening to our communities so they can help enact real change.”

The new crop of lieutenant governors represent a historically high amount of diversity in all parts of the country, including seven women, three African Americans, two Hispanic Americans, one Native American and the first openly gay lieutenant governor in our country’s history.

According to the DLGA, lieutenant governors serve as a state’s second-in-command and perform critical tasks overseeing economic development, trade policy, homeland security, education and overall legislative processes. Lieutenant governors are the only officials with specific duties and powers in two branches of state government: the executive and legislative branches.

Here’s a look at the balance of power change across the country:

Democratic Pickups

ILLINOIS: Juliana Stratton

KANSAS: Lynn Rogers

MICHIGAN: Garlin Gilchrist II

MINNESOTA: Peggy Flanagan

WISCONSIN: Mandela Barnes

NEVADA: Kate Marshall

NEW MEXICO: Howie Morales

GUAM: Josh Tenorio

Republican Pickups

ALASKA: Kevin Meyer

Democratic Seats Retained

CALIFORNIA: Eleni Kounalakis

COLORADO: Dianne Primavera

CONNECTICUT: Susan Bysiewicz

HAWAII: Josh Green

PENNSYLVANIA: John Fetterman

NEW YORK: Kathy Hochul, incumbent

RHODE ISLAND – Dan McKee, incumbent

VERMONT: David Zuckerman, incumbent

Republican Seats Retained

ALABAMA: Will Ainsworth

ARKANSAS: Tim Griffin, incumbent

FLORIDA?

GEORGIA: Geoff Duncan

IDAHO: Janice McGeachin

IOWA: Kim Reynolds

MARYLAND: Boyd Rutherford, incumbent

MASSACHUSETTS: Karyn Polito, incumbent

NEBRASKA: Mike Foley, incumbent

OHIO: Mary Taylor, incumbent

OKLAHOMA: Matt Pinnell

SOUTH CAROLINA: Kevin Bryant, incumbent

SOUTH DAKOTA: Matthew Michels, incumbent

TEXAS: Dan Patrick, incumbent

UTAH: Spencer Cox, incumbent