The role of vice president on the federal level, or lieutenant governor on the state level, does not bring with it a lot of attention or glory.

It is a second fiddle position. For example, you may know that Stevie Van Zandt plays lead guitar for the E Street Band, but Bruce Springsteen is still the headliner.

The Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association (DLGA) is aiming to shine a spotlight on the second-in-commands with hopes of helping them move to center stage.

The DLGA is unveiling plans to raise $15 million by 2026, while also allocating $2 million apiece in a pair of high-profile lieutenant governor races in 2024 and 2025, in part to keep Democratic talent moving through the pipeline.

There are presently 25 Democratic lieutenant governors, including states where the secretary of state fills the role, with 14 women and 12 people of color among the group.

The DLGA’s pitch – today’s lieutenant governors are tomorrow’s senators and governors.

“It is the most diverse organization of elected officials in the country,” said Austin Davis, who was recently elected as Pennsylvania’s first Black lieutenant governor, to POLITICO. “If you look at the number of lieutenant governors that elevate — whether to the U.S. Senate, whether it’s governor, whether it’s Congress — this is clearly a bench of folks who are going to be leading our party into the future.”

For too long, party insiders have stressed that the donor class focuses mainly on federal races, and generally the highest profile ones. The DLGA wants to see more attention paid to state contests to influence policy and improve the bench for future races.

Case in point was the recruitment of John Fetterman, who served as lieutenant governor from 2018-22 under Gov. Tom Wolf. Fetterman was able to hold off Republican candidate Mehmet Oz, who was endorsed by former president Donald Trump. But did you know that four other former LG’s won election as their state’s chief executive?

Recently named DLGA executive director Kevin Holst noted that the final career aspiration for many who occupy the lieutenant governor’s chair is not that position.

“It’s a unique committee in which we are focused on electing more LGs, but we recognize that LG isn’t likely the endpoint for a lot of these elected officials,” he said. “Can we provide the fundraising support? … Can we help with press support? Can we help with profile building in their states?”

The next flashpoint for the campaign will be in North Carolina (2024) and Virginia (2025) – two states where Republicans Mark Robinson and Winsome Sears currently hold the lieutenant governor’s seat and are considered potential candidates for the governor’s race. Both states elect the LG independently of the governor.

The DLGA counterpart – the Republican Lieutenant Governors Association (RLGA) – is one of four caucuses under the Republican State Leadership Committee – and is the only national organization dedicated to electing Republicans to the offices of lieutenant governor.