Cal Berkeley Democrats

Confirm Abel Maldonado

Following John Garamendi’s election to Congress, Governor Schwarzenegger has nominated State Senator Abel Maldonado for the post of Lieutenant Governor. However, the appointment is still subject to confirmation, and it’s unclear whether Democrats will play along. From a purely political perspective, they should.

First, as far as Sacramento Republicans go, Maldonado isn’t that bad. He is the most likely Republican to cross party lines, and he believes (at least rhetorically) that some of our service cuts were too harsh. Concretely, he voted with Democrats on the February budget. Since this included tax increases, he hugely angered his base and was even threatened with a recall.

If Democrats were to deny his appointment, it would send the wrong message. It would tell Republicans that bipartisanship is not welcome, and would only leave them exposed on all flanks. If we want the two-thirds we need to pass a budget, we can’t discourage dissent.

Secondly, and more importantly, confirming Maldonado would be politically advantageous. If he were confirmed, there would be a special election for his Senate seat. Democrats would have a fairly good chance winning–the district has a 6.5% Democratic voter registration advantage, and it went for Obama by a whopping 20 points. If we were to win, we’d be one step closer to two-thirds. This means more funding for education, health care, social services, etc.

Some argue that if Maldonado were confirmed, he could run for re-election as an incumbent and win. Realistically, this won’t happen. Remember, due to his budget votes, Maldonado isn’t in good graces with his base. His problems are compounded by sheer racism in the Republican Party, which has stopped him from winning statewide elections before.

Lastly, even if he were to win, as LTG he wouldn’t be powerful. He’d be an ex oficio UC Regent and CSU Trustee (and a member of the Lands Commission), but not much else. Right now, Maldonado has more power as a Senator. I’d trade his Senate seat for the LTG office anyday.

In my opinion, Democrats should confirm Maldonado–it would encourage moderate Republicans to cross party lines, and it would give us a meaningful shot at picking up a Senate seat. To quote Rick Jacobs, chair of the Courage Campaign:

For once, we agree with the Governor – Abel Maldonado should be demoted to Lt. Governor.