View source for Lieutenant Governor of Arizona

{{Short description|Future political office in Arizona}}
{{Infobox Political post
| post = Lieutenant Governor
| body = Arizona
| flag = Flag of Arizona.svg
| flagsize = 150px
| flagcaption = [[Flag of Arizona]]
| insignia = Arizona-StateSeal.svg
| insigniasize = 150px
| insigniacaption = Great Seal of the State of Arizona
| imagesize = 200px
| image = 
| incumbent = 
| incumbentsince = <!-- January 4, 2027 -->
| style = The Honorable
| termlength = Four years
| formation = <!-- January 4, 2027 -->
| inaugural = TBD
| salary = $165,000 (2026)
| residence = None official
| succession = First
| appointer = [[Direct election]]
}}
The '''lieutenant governor of Arizona''' is a constitutional statewide elected office in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Arizona]]. The office was established following the passage of proposition 131 in the [[2022 Arizona elections#Ballot propositions|2022 election]], and will be established on January 4, 2027 following the [[2026 Arizona gubernatorial election]]. The position will be elected on a joint ticket with the governor. 

==History==
The constitution of Arizona did not originally specify an office of lieutenant governor, making Arizona one of five states with this distinction. The constitution instead specified that the [[Secretary of State of Arizona|secretary of state]], if holding office by election, would assume the office of governor in case of a vacancy in the office. Since 1912, there have been six instances in which this happened, although [[Bruce Babbitt]] acceded to the post while serving as [[Attorney general of Arizona|attorney general]], as [[Rose Mofford]] had only been appointed as Secretary of State due to the death of [[Wesley Bolin]] five months earlier. In 1994, Arizona voters rejected the  legislatively referred proposition 100, which would have created the office of lieutenant governor to be elected on a joint ticket with the governor, with 65.3% of voters being against the measure. In 2010, proposition 111, a similar legislatively referred measure, failed with 59.2% of voters being against the measure. In 2022 Arizona voters approved the legislatively referred proposition 131 establishing the position with 55.16% of voters voting for the amendment and 44.84% of voters voting against it. 

==Powers and duties==
The power of the lieutenant governor of Arizona derives from  Article V, Section 1, of the Arizona Constitution, which provides that the lieutenant governor will be the first in line to succeed the [[List of governors of Arizona|governor]] when the governor dies, resigns, or is officially removed from office by impeachment, a role presently filled by the officially elected [[Secretary of State of Arizona|Secretary of State]]. Section 9 provides that the state legislature may prescribe further duties for the lieutenant governor. The proposition—through a law pre-passed by the [[Arizona State Legislature|Legislature]]—will also task the governor with assigning a job to her or his running mate, such as chief of staff, the director of the state Department of Administration, or "any position" to which the governor can appoint someone by law.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stern |first=Ray |title=Arizona voters approve Proposition 131 to create lieutenant governor position |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/11/08/arizona-proposition-131-results-lieutenant-governor-position/10634466002/ |access-date=November 11, 2022 |website=The Arizona Republic |date=November 8, 2022}}</ref>

In the event the office of lieutenant governor becomes vacant the governor of Arizona appoints a new person to serve in the position subject to majority approval of each house of the Arizona state legislature.<ref>https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/55leg/2R/bills/SCR1024S.pdf</ref>  

<!--==List of lieutenant governors of Arizona==
{{seealso|Secretary of State of Arizona}}-->
==See also==
{{Portal|Arizona|Politics}}
*[[List of governors of Arizona]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Current U.S. Lieutenant Governors}}
{{Arizona statewide elected officials}}
{{Lists of lieutenant governors by U.S. state}}

[[Category:Government of Arizona]]
[[Category:State lieutenant governors of the United States by state|Arizona]]
[[Category:2022 in Arizona]]


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