Josh Shapiro, Austin Davis AP-22310862244045
Austin Davis, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, is the first Black person to be elected to his job, and he’s only 34. Matt Rourke/AP

The Country’s Most Diverse Democratic Bench Is On the Cusp of Its Moment

Democratic lieutenant governors serving under governors on Kamala Harris’ VP list are standing by for a possible promotion.

Austin Davis, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, is the first Black person to be elected to his job, and he’s only 34. Matt Rourke/AP

There is a group of elected Democrats who are younger than most, more diverse than most and mostly far away from the national spotlight. They are the members of the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association — and one of them might have their lives changed next week, depending on who Vice President Kamala Harris chooses as her running mate.

“It doesn’t change much on a day-to-day basis,” Austin Davis, lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, told NOTUS. “As lieutenant governor, anything could happen, right? Your governor could be in a car accident. Your governor could, you know, have a heart attack. Any number of things could change your world in a moment.”

Davis is the first Black person to be elected to his job, and he’s only 34. If Harris selects the commonwealth’s governor, Josh Shapiro, to join her ticket — and the Democrats win in November — Davis will make history as Pennsylvania’s first Black governor. It is a job he was elected to be ready for, which makes his current job different from most. This year’s unexpected veepstakes are just another reason to be ready, he said.