PHOENIX — A proposal approved by a House panel Monday would change who takes over in Arizona when a governor dies, quits or is forcibly removed from office.
Legislation before the Elections Committee would ask voters to create a new post of lieutenant governor, who would run for election with the governor on the same ticket.
The lieutenant governor, presumably, would be of the same party — or at least the same political philosophy — as the state’s chief executive. Rep. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, said that will guarantee some sort of continuity.
“The voters wanted a particular vision in the governor’s office when they supported the governor and don’t intend that to change,” he said. “Many people don’t fully grasp that the secretary of state is the one who takes over.” And that person could have an entirely different philosophy — meaning a radical change in policy.
That occurred in 1988 when the Senate ejected Republican Evan Mecham from office after the House voted to impeach him, elevating Democrat Rose Mofford to the top spot. More recently, Democrat Janet Napolitano resigned in 2009 to take a job in the Obama administration, leaving Republican Jan Brewer in charge.
If the proposal is approved by the Legislature, it would also need voter approval in 2016 because it amends the Arizona Constitution.
