Austin Davis at the state Capitol in Harrisburg. (Capital-Star photo by Daniella Heminghaus)
The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association voted on Tuesday to elect Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis as its chair. The move came after a significant loss for Democrats in the general election on the tops of tickets nationwide.
“The next few months that lie ahead for the Party will take a lot of work to regain voters’ trust and lay out an agenda that speaks directly to the country,” Davis said. “We will continue to deliver results for working Americans and will work as a backstop to the Trump administration’s extreme agenda.”
Davis also said he wants to help “rebuild the Democratic brand.”
“As the Democratic Party faces a crossroads, our Democratic Lt. Governors will continue standing up for fundamental freedoms and working to make life better for working families,” said Juliana Stratton, a member of the Democratic Lt. Governor Association executive committee.
The association elected Massachusetts’ Kim Driscoll as Vice Chair.
“We have a tremendous opportunity at the DLGA to invest and build up the next generation of leaders in our party, and I am thrilled to be a part of paving the way for a successful path forward,” Driscoll said.
Davis has served as Pennsylvania’s Lt. Governor since 2023. In that role, he also presides over the state Senate. Before becoming lieutenant governor, Davis served as a state Representative in the 35th District in Allegheny County. He is the youngest lieutenant governor in the country and the first Black lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania.
Currently, there are 19 Democratic lieutenant governors serving across the country. The Democratic Lt. Governors Association also has members from American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as from three members who are next in line to the governor, but are from states which do not have the position.