Maldonado: Is he, or isn’t he?

February 12, 2010

The question of whether or not Sen. Abel Maldonado is California’s next lieutenant governor remains unresolved and may have to be decided by the courts. [Los Angeles Times]

The state Assembly failed to confirm Maldonado’s nomination in a Thursday afternoon vote. He received 37 votes in favor of his confirmation and 35 votes against his appointment. All but one Republican voted for Maldonado; only eight Democrats supported him. The Senate had already voted to confirm Maldonado Thursday morning by a vote of 27 to 6.

Now begins the debate. Assembly leaders are claiming that Maldonado’s confirmation was rejected because he failed to get 41 votes, a majority in the 80-seat chamber.

However, Gov. Schwarzenegger maintains that his nominee had to be rejected by a majority of Assembly members and he still wants Maldonado sworn in this month.

Observers from both parties believe the issue will have to be resolved in court.

Maldonado appeared before reporters briefly to thank those colleagues who voted for him, but declined to take specific questions.