Relationship With The Lieutenant Governor
The Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma is elected at the same election as the Governor, but not jointly as the running mate of the gubernatorial candidate. With Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb in office, Oklahoma has a Governor and a Lieutenant governor of the same party, as both Governor Mary Fallin and Lieutenant Governor Lamb are of the Republican Party.
The event of having a Governor and Lieutenant of different parties has become more frequent ever since Republicans had made gains in state wide elections. Democratic Lieutenant Governor Leo Winters and Republican Governor Henry Bellmon in 1963 was the first instance of this occurrence. Since then this has happened three more times; in 1967 with Republican Governor Dewey F. Bartlett and Democratic Lieutenant Governor George Nigh, in 1987 with Republican Governor Henry Bellmon and Democratic Lieutenant Governor Robert S. Kerr III, and in 2002 with Democratic Governor Brad Henry and Republican Lieutenant Governor Mary Fallin.
When a Governor and Lieutenant Governor are of the same party, the Governor often uses the Lieutenant as the head of board, agency, or commission. This can been seen when Governor Mary Fallin appointed Lieutenant Governor Todd Lamb to serve as her Small Business Advocate within her Cabinet. However, when the Governor and Lieutenant are of different parties, the Lieutenant's role in the administration is often minimal.
This unique relationship occasionally comes into play when the Lieutenant Governor is the Acting Governor. When acting as the Governor, the Oklahoma Constitution provides all the powers of the Governor to the Lieutenant Governor. This includes the power of signing or vetoing legislation, making political appointments, calling out the Oklahoma National Guard, or granting pardons. The need for the Lieutenant Governor to act as the Governor may come about due to the Governor's absences from the State, or his inability to discharge the powers and duties of the office. The Lieutenant Governor holds the powers of the Governor until the Governor returns to the state or the disability is removed.
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