Lieutenant Governor of Colorado

Colorado Lieutenant Governor
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$164,009
2025 FY Budget:	$1,527,364
Term limits:	Two consecutive terms
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Colorado Constitution, Article IV, Section 2
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Lieutenant Governor of Colorado Dianne Primavera Democratic Party Assumed office: January 8, 2019
Elections
Next election:	November 3, 2026
Last election:	November 8, 2022
Other Colorado Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Controller • Commissioner of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Exec. Director • Labor Executive Director • Public Utilities Commission • Colorado State Board of Regents

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

Current officeholder

The 50th and current lieutenant governor is Dianne Primavera (D). Primavera was first elected on November 6, 2018, and assumed office on January 8, 2019.

Authority

The Colorado Constitution addresses the office of the lieutenant governor in Article IV, the Executive Department.

Colorado Constitution, Article IV, Section 2

The executive department shall include the governor, lieutenant governor...

Qualifications

State Executives
Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014

Colorado Constitution, Article IV, Section 4

No person shall be eligible to the office of governor or lieutenant governor unless he shall have attained the age of thirty years, nor to the office of secretary of state or state treasurer unless he shall have attained the age of twenty-five years, nor to the office of attorney general unless he shall have attained the age of twenty-­five years and be a licensed attorney of the supreme court of the state in good standing, and no person shall be eligible to any one of said offices unless, in addition to the qualifications above prescribed therefore, he shall be a citizen of the United States, and have resided within the limits of the state two years next preceding his election.

Article III forbids any officer of the executive department from holding any legislative or judicial office.

A candidate is disqualified from holding the office of lieutenant governor if the candidate has been convicted of "embezzlement of public moneys, bribery, perjury, solicitation of bribery, or subornation of perjury"(Article XII, § 4). Additionally, any civil officer who "solicits, demands, or receives" a bribe forfeits the office and the right to hold any other office in the future and is liable to criminal penalties (Article XII, § 6).

Elections

Colorado state government organizational chart

See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state

See also: Election of governors

Colorado elects its lieutenant governors in federal midterm election years (e.g. 2018, 2022, 2026, 2030). Per Article IV, Section 1 of the state constitution, the lieutenant governor takes office on the second Tuesday in the January following an election.

If two candidates are tied, a joint session of the legislature casts ballots to choose the winner from among the two candidates who received the most votes. If the election is contested, the legislature shall jointly resolve the manner as prescribed by law.

Colorado Constitution, Article IV, Section 1

(1) The executive department shall include the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, and attorney general, each of whom shall hold his office for the term of four years, commencing on the second Tuesday of January in the year 1967, and each fourth year thereafter. They shall perform such duties as are prescribed by this constitution or by law.

2022

See also: Colorado gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Colorado

The following candidates ran in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Colorado on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dianne Primavera (D)	58.5	1,468,481
		Danny Moore (R)	39.2	983,040
		Michele Poague (L)	1.2	28,939
		Darryl Gibbs (American Constitution Party)	0.9	21,623
		Cynthia Munhos de Aquino Sirianni (Unity Party)	0.3	6,687
	Submit photo	Sean Hoyt (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	52
	Submit photo	Kathren May (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	8

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,508,830
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Elijah Hatch (R)
• Jan Kok (Approval Voting Party)

2018

See also: Colorado gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Colorado

Dianne Primavera defeated Lang Sias, Michele Poague, and Eric Bodenstab in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Colorado on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dianne Primavera (D)	53.4	1,348,888
		Lang Sias (R)	42.8	1,080,801
		Michele Poague (L)	2.8	69,519
		Eric Bodenstab (Unity Party)	1.0	25,854

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,525,062
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2014

See also: Colorado Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2014

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John Hickenlooper/Joseph Garcia Incumbent	49.3%	1,006,433
	Republican	Bob Beauprez/Jill Rapella	46%	938,195
	Libertarian	Matthew Hess/Brandon Young	1.9%	39,590
	Green	Harry Hempy/Scott Olson	1.3%	27,391
	Unaffiliated	Mike Dunafon/Robin Roberts	1.2%	24,042
	Unaffiliated	Paul Fiorino/Charles Whitley	0.3%	5,923
Total Votes				2,041,574
Election results via Colorado Secretary of State

Term limits

See also: Lieutenant Governors with term limits

The position of lieutenant governor has been subject to term limits since 1990, when the Colorado Term Limits Act was approved with 71 percent of the vote.

Any individual is limited to two consecutive terms as lieutenant governor. Serving more than half of a term as an appointee or as an acting governor qualifies as a full term for purposes of applying term limits.

Colorado Constitution, Article IV, Section 1

In order to broaden the opportunities for public service and to guard against excessive concentrations of power, no governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, or attorney general shall serve more than two consecutive terms in such office...

Removal from office

Colorado citizens may recall their lieutenant governors.

Recall

See also: States with gubernatorial recall provisions

Recalls are governed under Article XXI, Sections 1 through 3

State officials, including the lieutenant governor, are subject to recall after the first six months of their term. Recall proponents must file a petition with the same officer who accepts the nominating petition for the office in question; for statewide officers, this is the Colorado Secretary of State.

The petition must have valid signatures equal to 25 percent of the votes cast for the incumbent in his last election. Based on the number of votes received by the gubernatorial-lieutenant gubernatorial ticket in the 2010 election, a recall petition would require 446,933 signatures, or 25 percent of the 1,787,730 votes cast for Hickenlooper/Garcia. Additionally, the petition must contain a statement, not exceeding 200 words, stating the grounds for the recall.

If the petition, once submitted, is insufficient, it may be withdrawn and, within 15 days, amended and refiled. If determined to be sufficient, a recall petition is submitted to the governor, who calls a recall election not less than 30 days and not more than 60 days from the date of the petition's filing. If a general election is set within 90 days, the recall election may be combined with the general election.

If the recall fails, the incumbent may not be recalled again for the remainder of his or her term. Additionally, an incumbent who survives a recall is legally entitled to reimbursement of certain expenses from the state treasury.

Impeachment

See also: Gubernatorial impeachment procedures

Impeachments of civil officers are governed under Article XIII, Sections 1 and 2.

The Colorado House of Representatives has the "sole power of impeachment" and a majority of the House's members must concur to impeach.

If the House does impeach, the Colorado Senate tries all impeachments, with all Senators required to take an oath or affirmation to be impartial before the trial begins. Article XIII, Section 1 of the state constitution requires the Chief Justice of the Colorado Supreme Court be the presiding officer when the governor or lieutenant governor is on trial.

The governor and lieutenant governor are liable to impeachment for "high crimes or misdemeanors or malfeasance in office" but, if impeached, the Senate's judgment only extend to removal from office and disqualification to hold further offices. An impeached officer may still be liable for indictment, trial, and punishment by state law enforcement.

Oath of office

Civil officers, including the lieutenant governor, are required to take an oath under Article XII, Section 8 before they may carry out any functions of their office. Under Article XII, Section 9, officers of the executive department file their oath with the Colorado Secretary of State.

Specifics of oaths and affirmations are described in the Colorado Revised Statutes, Title 24, Article 12, Sections 101-108.

Vacancies

Details of vacancy appointments are addressed in Article IV, Section 13 of the state constitution.

If the office of lieutenant governor becomes vacant the governor appoints a replacement subject to majority approval from both houses of the legislature.

Duties

Originally, the lieutenant governor served as president of the Colorado State Senate. That duty was repealed by the 6th Amendment to the Colorado Constitution in 1974. Currently, the office's primary responsibility is to act as the governor's potential replacement in addition to other duties that the governor assigns.

Divisions

As of January 19, 2021, programs overseen by the Lieutenant Governor's office included:

• Colorado Commission of Indiana Affairs
• Colorado Space Coalition
• Office of Saving People Money on Healthcare
• Office of eHealth Innovation
• Serve Colorado

State budget

See also: Colorado state budget and finances

The budget for the Colorado Lieutenant Governor's Office in the 2024-2025 Fiscal Year was $1,527,364.

Compensation

See also: Comparison of lieutenant gubernatorial salaries

The salaries of all elected executives in Colorado are determined by state law as mandated by the Colorado Constitution. Article IV, Section 19 of the state constitution notes that legislators cannot decrease state executive salaries during their current terms in office.

Text of Section 19: Salaries of Officers Fees Paid into Treasury The officers named in section one of this article shall receive for their services a salary to be established by law, which shall not be increased or diminished during their official terms. It shall be the duty of all such officers to collect in advance all fees prescribed by law for services rendered by them severally, and pay the same into the state treasury.

2023

In 2023, the officer's salary was $164,009, according to the Council of State Governments.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $164,009, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $164,009, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $93,360 according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $93,360 according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $153,768 according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $150,000 according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $68,500.

2015

In 2015, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $68,500 according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the lieutenant governor received a salary of $68,500 according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the lieutenant governor was paid an estimated $68,500. This figure comes from the Council of State Governments.

Historical officeholders

List of officeholders from 1877-Present
#	Name	Tenure	Party
1	Lafayette Head	1877-1879	Republican
2	Horace Austin Warner Tabor	1879-1883	Republican
3	William H. Meyer	1883-1885	Republican
4	Peter W. Breene	1885-1887	Republican
5	Norman H. Meldrum	1887-1889	Republican
6	William Grover Smith	1889-1891	Republican
7	William Story	1891-1893	Republican
8	Davvid Hopkinson Nichols	1893-1895	Republican Populist
9	Jared L. Brush	1895-1899	Republican
10	Francis Patrick Carney	1899-1901	Populist
11	David Courtney Coates	1901-1902	Democratic
12	Warren Armstrong Haggott	1902-1903	Republican
13	Jesse F. McDonald	1904-1905	Republican
14	Arthur Cornforth	1905-1905	Republican
15	Fred W. Parks	1905-1907	Republican
16	Erastus Harper	1907-1909	Republican
17	Stephen R. Fitzgerald	1909-1915	Democratic
18	Moses E. Lewis	1915-1917	Republican
19	James A. Pulliam	1917-1919	Democratic
20	George Stephan	1919-1921	Republican
21	Earl Cooley	1921-1923	Republican
22	Robert Fay Rockwell	1923-1925	Republican
23	Sterling Byrd Lacy	1925-1927	Democratic
24	George Milton Corlett	1927-1931	Republican
25	Edwin Carl Johnson	1931-1932	Democratic
26	Raymond Herbert Talbot	1933-1937	Democratic
27	Frank J. Hayes	1937-1939	Democratic
28	John C. Vivian	1939-1943	Republican
29	William Eugene Higby	1943-1947	Republican
30	Homer L. Pearson	1947-1949	Republican
31	Walter Walford Johnson	1949-1950	Democratic
32	Charles P. Murphy	1950-1950	Republican
33	Gordon Llewellyn Allott	1950-1955	Republican
34	Stephen L. R. McNichols	1955-1957	Democratic
35	Frank L. Hays	1957-1959	Republican
36	Robert Lee Knous	1959-1967	Democratic
37	Mark Anthony Hogan	1967-1971	Democratic
38	John D. Vanderhoof	1971-1973	Republican
39	Ted L. Strickland	1973-1975	Republican
40	George Brown	1975-1979	Democratic
41	Nancy E. Dick	1979-1987	Democratic
42	Mike Calligan	1987-1994	Democratic
43	Samuel H. Cassidy	1994-1995	Democratic
44	Gail S. Schoettler	1995-1999	Democratic
45	Joe Rogers	1999-2003	Republican
46	Jane E. Norton	2003-2007	Republican
47	Barbara O'Brien	2007-2011	Democratic
48	Joseph Garcia	2011-2016	Democratic
49	Donna Lynne	2016-2019	Democratic
50	Dianne Primavera	2019-present	Democratic

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Colorado Lieutenant Governor. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Lieutenant Governor of Colorado - Google News

Contact information

Physical address:
200 E. Colfax Ave, Room 130
Denver, CO 80203
Phone: (303) 866-4075

External links

Suggest a link

• Lieutenant Governor of Colorado