In the almost 160 years of California’s history and its 38 Governors only three Lieutenant Governor’s have moved to the Governor’s mansion after being elected in their own right, with Gray Davis being the most recent.

With the office having the main responsibility of serving as the second in command to the Governor, serving as the presiding officer of the Senate who can cast a tie-breaking vote, and sitting on numerous bodies like the CSU Board of Trustees, the Lieutenant Governor has limited staff, resources and responsibilities but can play an active but indirect role in policy issues using the bully pulpit.

The current Lieutenant Governor, John Garamendi has been actively involved with the CSU and the UC’s regents, but has clearly had his eye on running for a higher office rather than focus on a second term as Lieutenant Governor. Currently Mr. Garamendi has set his eyes on a potential congressional seat that is opening up in northern California.

To date there are six possible candidates for Lieutenant Governor – three are Democrats and three are Republicans with four of these candidates as current state Senators.

Democratic Contenders
Senator Dean Florez seems to be the Democratic candidate who is most engaged in the race so far, with about $700,000 in the bank, a website, and an active presence at the recent Democratic convention. Senator Dean Florez is seen as a moderate from the Central Valley who has been working to expand his image and message beyond the typical “valleycrat” politics through efforts on cleaner air in the central valley, more stringent food safety protections and Title IX issues as they relate to equity in athletics.

Senator Alan Lowenthal is a retired professor from Long Beach State who taught psychology. Mr. Lowenthal served on the Long Beach City Council, then the Assembly before being elected to the State Senate. He is considered to be the true liberal running for the seat and has a background that has focused in on environmental and transportation issues.

Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier from the City of San Francisco is also rumored to be running for the office. She is the granddaughter of former San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto. Ms. Alioto-Piers began her career as an aide to Vice President Al Gore, before running unsuccessfully for the 1st Congressional District in 1996. She also unsuccessfully ran for the office of California’s Secretary of State in 1998 and again in 2002, losing to Kevin Shelley.

Republican Contenders
State Senator Jeff Denham, who represents the Modesto, Salinas and Castroville area of the state is also a contender for the Lieutenant Governor race. Mr. Denham won the Senate seat which was originally thought to be a democratic seat in a narrowly won race against former Assembly member Rusty Arias.

A graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Senator Denham has been known in Sacramento for his focus reducing government waste, with a keen eye on California’s surplus assets. Since he claimed a Senate seat that was built for a democrat, he is often targeted as a possible vote for a budget, but he has been consistent on his stance against raising taxes. Hoping to pick this seat back up for the Democrats, then President Pro Temp, Don Perata organized a recall in 2008, which was doomed from the start. After Perata pulled the plug on his efforts, Denham cruised through the recall with 76% of the vote. He is now hoping to claim the Lieutenant Governor seat touting his conservative credentials, military experience, and central valley farmer roots. He too also has a website up advocating for his election.

State Senator Sam Aanestad, who is also a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, was first elected to the Assembly in 1998 and then was elected to the State Senate in 2002. A resident of Grass Valley (north of Sacramento), his Senate District includes the counties of Butte, Colusa, Del Norte, Glenn, Nevada, Placer, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, and Yuba. Senator Aanestad indicated that his top priorities while serving in the Senate would be preserving rural health care, and protecting North California’s water. While he is well known in Sacramento for his keen intellect and reliable conservative vote, he is not well known in Southern California, which may be a hindrance to his campaign.

Bill Simon, the wealthy businessman who ran as the Republican candidate for Governor in 2002, is apparently considering using the office of Lieutenant Governor for his comeback into politics. Considering his personal wealth and previous run for statewide office he may have an easy time with this race.