A bill that would have gubernatorial candidates select a running mate recently passed through the Arizona Senate, and will be on the November ballot pending House approval.
Currently, the plan of succession in Arizona calls for the secretary of state to assume the position in the event of the governor’s departure.
State Sen. J.D. Mesnard, one of the bill’s primary sponsors, says people don’t think of the secretary of state as Arizona’s governor-in-waiting, but the state has had several vacate the office.
“We've had folks pass away, we've had folks get appointed to other things. We have had folks get indicted, unfortunately. We've had folks get impeached. We've had literally, I think, every example that the constitution outlines,” Mesnard said.
The most recent secretary of state to become governor was Republican Jan Brewer, replacing Democrat Janet Napolitano after she left for a position in the Obama administration in 2009.
The bill, if approved in the November election, would take effect in 2026 — meaning the winner of this year’s governor’s race would need a running mate for a second term.
Arizona voters have rejected the idea twice in the past — in 1994 and again in 2010. Forty-five of 50 states have a lieutenant governor, although 17 of those states elect them separately while 26 have them included on the governor’s ticket.
