The lieutenant governor serves as governor of Kentucky under circumstances similar to the vice president of the United States assuming the powers of the presidency.
The role and powers of the Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky were greatly altered by a 1992 amendment to the Constitution of Kentucky.
Lieutenant governors Thelma Stovall (1975-1979) and Happy Chandler (1931-1935) engaged in high profile use of their powers as acting governor when the elected governor was out of the state.