Wisconsin’s Lieutenant Governor Race Flies Under The Radar

Candidates for lieutenant governor, Democrat Sarah Godlewski, left, and Republican David Varnam, right. Photos courtesy of the campaigns

After a long primary season and a mad dash to November, Wisconsin residents may have put a lot of thought into who they plan to vote for in the race for governor.

And when they cast that vote, they’ll also be selecting a second person, for a role they may not have thought about at all.

The position of lieutenant governor is, according to the Wisconsin Constitution, a simple one: They take over if the governor is no longer able to serve, or leaves office for any reason.

Anything beyond that is gravy, according to Anthony Chergosky, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

“Their power depends heavily on their relationship with the governor,” he said.

The candidates for lieutenant governor this year are Democrat Sarah Godlewski, who’s running alongside Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, and Republican David Varnam, who’s running alongside U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany.

Regardless of what they think of their running mates now, neither Crowley nor Tiffany had any choice in the matter. It’s not like vice presidential candidates, who get picked by candidates for president.

Governor candidates typically find out their running mates on primary day, along with everyone else.

Two different paths to the ticket

This year’s campaign is a clear example of the different path lieutenant governor candidates can take to the ticket.

Godlewski ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor. That guaranteed she’d share a ticket with whomever emerged from a fractured primary for governor, whether it be Crowley his chief rival, Madison state Rep. Francesca Hong.

By contrast, Varnam was something of a surprise winner in the Republican primary, which featured two candidates for lieutenant governor. The Republican Party of Wisconsin endorsed Will Martin, not Varnam. But Varnam won commandingly in the August primary, by 11 percentage points.

Now, both Godlewski and Varnam are out on the campaign trail alongside their candidates for governor. Godlewski, the sitting secretary of state, previously served as state treasurer, and ran for U.S. Senate in 2022. Godlewski’s name appears alongside Crowley’s on yard signs that pepper the state.

“When you look at the complex problems that are facing our state, whether it’s funding our public schools or how we can provide affordable housing or quality access to healthcare, I mean those are big issues that … it’s going to take a team” to address, Godlewski told WPR in an interview.

On his website, Varnam describes his policy priorities as lowering taxes, preventing transgender students from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams, and encouraging cooperation between state law enforcement and the Trump administration. He did not respond to WPR’s request for an interview.

His name does not appear alongside Tiffany’s on yard signs. Instead, GOP supporters can set up a separate sign, reminding voters that Varnam is on the ticket, too.

A yard sign supporting Tom Tiffany for governor, and a yard sign supporting David Crowley for governor, on the same residential street in Milwaukee, Wis., on Oct. 28. Corri Hess/WPR

Varnam serves as the mayor of Lancaster, a small city in southwestern Wisconsin, and previously ran for lieutenant governor in 2022, losing in that year’s Republican primary. He once worked for Focus on the Family, an Evangelical organization that takes a hard line against abortion access.

Running mates don’t have a lot of influence over voters’ decisions, Chergosky said — unless they veer off message.

“Their job is to be the No. 1 cheerleader for the top of the ticket, and so everything that the running mate does has to be in support of the candidate for governor,” he said. “It can hurt a ticket when the running mate becomes the story.”

An open-ended office

The lieutenant governor position has little guaranteed authority. Its primary function is to succeed a governor, should the governor resign, be impeached or die, or to stand in for a governor as needed.

It wasn’t always this way. Once upon a time, a lieutenant governor also served as president of the state Senate, and could cast a tie-breaking vote — much like the vice president does in the U.S. Senate. That changed in 1979, when a constitutional amendment made Wisconsin Senate president a position selected by chamber members.

These days, the  office is seen as a stepping stone for people with aspirations to higher office. This year’s Democratic primary for governor featured two people who held the office under Gov. Tony Evers: current Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, and former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. Former Lt. Gov.  Rebecca Kleefisch, who served  under Gov. Scott Walker, ran for governor as a Republican in 2022.

None of these bids were successful. According to Eric Ostermeier, a political scientist at the University of Minnesota, only three sitting or former Wisconsin lieutenant governors have gone on to be elected governor.  The last of these was Democrat Patrick Lucey, a former lieutenant governor who was elected governor in 1970.

Another seven took over when a governor left office. The last of those was Scott McCallum, who served under former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson. He became governor when Thompson resigned in 2001 to join President George W. Bush’s cabinet.

That line of succession is an example of the risks of running two separate races to become running mates: The two reportedly had a rough relationship, with Thompson once revoking McCallum’s state-issued car.

“The lieutenant governor’s office can be powerful,” Chergosky said. “But it is highly contingent on the vision that the governor has for that role and the lieutenant governor’s personal relationship with the governor.”

Wisconsin’s lieutenant governor candidates are top of the ticket. But maybe not top of mind. was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.