NOTE: This question is in the U.S. Politics section, so the answer applies to the U.S. only. In the United States, this office is the second-highest executive office in a state and is nominally subordinate to the governor. The procedure for election of lieutenant governor varies from state to state with some states having the governor and lieutenant governor running as running mates on a joint ticket while others the governor and the lieutenant governor run separately. The latter can cause the governor and lieutenant governor to be from different parties and bitter political rivals. In the U.S., the duties of a lieutenant governor include replacing the governor if he or she dies or resigns. In most states, the lieutenant governor then becomes governor, with the title and its associated salary, office, and perks. In a few states, like Massachusetts, the lieutenant governor instead becomes "acting governor" until a new governor can be elected. In some states the lieutenant governor is the chairman of the upper house of the legislature. In the state of Texas, the lieutenant governor chairs the state senate and by convention and legislative rule, the lieutenant governor has a great deal of influence on the management and passage of legislation. This power and the fact that the lieutenant governor is elected separately from the governor and the fact that much of the executive power of the state government is in elected executive officials and boards rather than in the hands of the governor cause some to consider the lieutenant governor to be more powerful than the governor. This results in the ironic situation that when a lieutenant governor of Texas becomes governor, he or she gains a fancier title, but loses power. Some states, such as New Jersey, do not have a lieutenant governor.