James Romoser has his list of potential Democratic Senate candidates.
The Winston-Salem Journal reporter's list mostly tracks names floated by Dome recently, although he adds a name we overlooked: Walter Dalton.
Dalton is a moderate Democrat and a good campaigner. After serving in the N.C. Senate, he was elected last year to be lieutenant governor, a job with high visibility but little real power.
Thanks, gercohen. I notice that Ralph Scott (of the Scott dynasty) is listed as president pro tem of the senate for 1963. Does that mean that he was actually president of the Senate then?
awbeal is absolutely correct. There is no provision in the constitution for filling a vacancy in Lt. Governor, although the Constitution does provide for what happens to MOST of the duties of that office. The constitution provides that the President Pro Tem of the Senate becomes President of the Senate, and the Senate then proceeds to elect a new President Pro Tem. The President of the Senate is then first in line for succession. If a vacancy as Lt Gov occurred January 1, 2011, then the President Pro Tem elected at the convening of the 2011 session immediately becomes President, and the Senate then elects a new President Pro Tem. This is what happened on convening of the 1963 Session. From January 1, 2011 until convening of the 2011 Session, the Secretary of State would be first in line for succession.
Correct me if I'm wrong, RTB, but if Dalton ran and won, thus vacating the LG's office, his office would remain vacant for the rest of his term. The last time there was a vacancy was when Harvey Cloyd Philpott died after only 8 months in office, on August 18, 1961. There was no LG for almost the next four years.
I don't think anything in the law has changed since 1961 allowing for a mechanism to replace the LG.
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Re: Senate Dem Watch: Dalton
No, Clarence Stone of Rockingham County was elected President Pro Tem on convening in 1963, he immediately became President, and the Senate as its next order of business elected Uncle Ralph as Pro Tem.