Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, the nation’s youngest and first black lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, has a fresh title: chairman of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association.
Davis, 35, of Pittsburgh, will lead the group in fundraising and organizing next year’s two gubernatorial elections, including in New Jersey, as Democrats overall grapple with massive losses suffered on Election Day last month. It will also aid the group prepare for the 31st midterm gubernatorial elections in 2026, including: in Pennsylvania, where Davis and Gov. Josh Shapiro will seek re-election, and in Arizona, where voters will choose their first lieutenant governor.
He will continue to build his national profile as his boss Shapiro remains a potential 2028 presidential candidate.
“The Democrats may have lost the election, but we haven’t lost our values,” Davis said in an interview. “We will continue to fight for the things that are important to us and our voters.”
On Tuesday, during the group’s winter meeting in Washington, Davis was elected by his peers to head the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association, an organization aimed at building the party’s membership and electing Democratic local governments. The group touts itself as the most diverse group of elected officials in the country, saying 80% of Democratic lieutenant governors are women or people of color.
Now he will ask National Democrats to support the lesser-known Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association by sharing how its members are on the front lines on issues that matter most to working families, he said, noting Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana. Stratton’s work on Black maternal health, his work on gun violence prevention, and Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez’s focus on health care.
Democrats need to better prepare their lineup of future leaders, he added, citing recent Republican selections of former lieutenant governors as their candidates: North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who ran unsuccessfully for governor in last month’s election, and Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who is currently running governor position in 2025
“While the Democratic Party is at a crossroads, DLGA has a tremendous opportunity to continue investing and building the next generations of leaders for our party,” Davis added.
Davis replaces the organization’s former president, Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who would have been promoted to governor had Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz won last month’s presidential election. Flanagan would be the first Native American in the country to serve as governor. She will remain a member of the DLGA executive committee, and Massachusetts Gov. Kim Driscoll will become vice chair of the group.
Davis, who served as a state representative before joining Shapiro on the governor’s ticket in 2022, was at one point poised to take over as governor if Harris chose Shapiro as her running mate.
Throughout it all, Davis has tried to make his largely unknown office have a greater impact by being more energetic than his predecessors on issues he cares about, such as gun violence prevention.
He asked Shapiro to be appointed chairman of the Pennsylvania Crime and Crime Commission to continue that work, in addition to constitutionally required duties such as chairing the state Senate and heading the Board of Pardons. He also plays a significant role in helping Shapiro develop his annual budget and has a policy director who attends meetings of the governor’s office.
He will be seen as the top Democratic candidate for governor in future elections and would be required to take office if Shapiro leaves office before the end of his term.
