Change how we choose lieutenant governor
Pennsylvania is inching closer to letting voters decide whether the candidate for lieutenant governor should be chosen in statewide primary voting, as is now the case, or to switch things up and allow the gubernatorial candidate to pick his own partner.
The Legislature should approve a bill now in the Senate and put the question to voters as early as this November. And voters should see the wisdom of changing the current setup, which has allowed for some less-than-productive partnerships between the state’s top two elected officials.
The Senate State Government Committee recently passed Senate Bill 106 — by a 10-1 vote — to advance a constitutional amendment allowing for the winners of the state’s gubernatorial primaries to select a running mate, with approval of the respective state committees. It’s a plan based on the federal system, where the presidential candidate who secures the party nomination then selects a partner.
The measure now goes to the full Senate and, if approved, to the state House. The same proposal passed overwhelmingly in the Senate (46-2) and House (130-67) in the last legislative session, so approval in the next few months could mean a ballot referendum this fall.
Pennsylvania is one of nearly a dozen states that is proposing changes to the selection of a lieutenant governor, and for good reason.
Pennsylvania voters now cast ballots for a lieutenant governor candidate in the primary, and the winner is then paired with the party’s candidate for governor come November. The current system creates the possibility of having a governor and lieutenant governor with vastly different political philosophies. Given the current political divisions nationwide, gubernatorial candidates in Pennsylvania should at least be able to select a running mate with whom they see eye-toeye on most issues. Or, at the very least, a running mate with whom they can create a workable partnership.
The current system has created some contentious relationships, such as that of Gov. Tom Wolf and former Lt. Gov. Mike Stack. After reports surfaced that Mr. Stack and his wife verbally abused their security detail and household staff, Mr. Wolf stripped the lieutenant governor of his security detail. Theirs was an icy relationship that ended when Mr. Stack lost the lieutenant governor primary election in 2018 to John Fetterman.
Duties for lieutenant governors are, for the most part, limited. Two states — West Virginia and Tennessee — have the Senate president serve as lieutenant governor, while five other states do not have a lieutenant governor position.
In Pennsylvania, the lieutenant governor presides over the state Senate, a largely ceremonial role, and chairs the board of pardons and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council. Any other duties are at the discretion of the governor, so it makes sense to give the governor the chance to pick a lieutenant who has his or her confidence.
The majority of state lawmakers recognize the need to change the selection process. They should move quickly to give voters the final say on making a needed change.