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Lieutenant Governor of Ohio

From Ballotpedia

Ohio Lieutenant Governor

General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$186,867
Term limits:	Two consecutive terms
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Ohio Constitution, Article III, Section 1
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder(s)
Lieutenant Governor of Ohio Jim Tressel Republican Party Assumed office: February 14, 2025
Elections
Next election:	2026
Last election:	2022
Other Ohio Executive Offices
Governor •Lieutenant Governor •Secretary of State •Attorney General •Treasurer •Auditor •Superintendent of Education •Agriculture Commissioner •Insurance Commissioner •Natural Resources Commissioner •Labor Commissioner •Public Service Commission

TheLieutenant Governor of Ohio is an elected constitutional officer, the second ranking officer of the executive branch and the first officer in line to succeed theGovernor of Ohio. The lieutenant governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.

Current officeholder

See also:Current Lieutenant Governors

The current Lieutenant Governor of Ohio isJim Tressel (R). Tressel assumed office in 2025.

Authority

TheOhio Constitution establishes the office of lieutenant governor inArticle III, the Executive Department.

Under Article III, Section 1:

The executive department shall consist of a governor, lieutenant governor...^[1]

Qualifications

A candidate for lieutenant governor may not hold any congressional, federal, or any other statewide office.^[1]

Elections

See also:Gubernatorial election cycles by state

See also:Election of lieutenant governors

Ohio elects lieutenant governors in the midterm elections, that is, even years that are not presidential election years (e.g. 2018, 2022, 2026, and 2030). Legally, the lieutenant gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the second Monday in the January following an election.

If two candidates are tied, a joint session of the legislature shall cast votes to choose among the top two vote-getters.^[1]

Term limits

Term limits for the lieutenant governor are laid out inArticle III, Section 2 of the Ohio Constitution. The lieutenant governor is forbidden from serving more than two consecutive terms.

Ohio Constitution, Article III, Section 2:

“

The governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer of state, and attorney general shall hold their offices for four years commencing on the second Monday of January, 1959. Their terms of office shall continue until their successors are elected and qualified. The auditor of state shall hold his office for a term of two years from the second Monday of January, 1961 to the second Monday of January, 1963 and thereafter shall hold this office for a four year term. No person shall hold the office of governor for a period longer than two successive terms of four years. No person shall hold any one of the offices of lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer of state, attorney general, or auditor of state for a period longer than two successive terms of four years. Terms shall be considered successive unless separated by a period of four or more years. Only terms beginning on or after January 1, 1995 shall be considered in determining an individual’s eligibility to hold the office of lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer of state, attorney general, or auditor of state. In determining the eligibility of an individual to hold an office in accordance with this article, (A) time spent in an office in fulfillment of a term to which another person was first elected shall not be considered provided that a period of at least four years passed between the time, if any, in which the individual previously held that office, and the time the individual is elected or appointed to fulfill the unexpired term; and (B) a person who is elected to an office in a regularly scheduled general election and resigns prior to the completion of the term for which he or she was elected, shall be considered to have served the full term in that office.^[2]

”

Election results

There are noofficial candidates yet for this election.

General election

The primary will occur on May 5, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio

David Pepper (D) is running in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate
		David Pepper

	There are noincumbents in this race.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio

Kim Georgeton (R),Robert McColley (R),Stuart Moats (R), andJalen Turner (R) are running in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate
		Kim Georgeton
		Robert McColley
	Submit photo	Stuart Moats
	Submit photo	Jalen Turner

	There are noincumbents in this race.
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Libertarian Party primary

Libertarian primary for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio

James Mills (L) is running in the Libertarian Party primary for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio on May 5, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	James Mills

	There are noincumbents in this race.
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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