Abel Maldonado

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In 2005, Maldonado declared his candidacy for the office of California State Controller after Controller Steve Westly decided to run for governor. Maldonado was defeated in the June 6, 2006 Republican primary by Tony Strickland. [13]

Following his loss, Maldonado publicly criticized Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for not supporting his campaign more forcefully, suggesting that Schwarzenegger did not care about Hispanics, when he told the Los Angeles Times that "[w]hen [Schwarzenegger] needs Latinos, Latinos are always there for him. When Latinos need him, the answer's been no." [14] Maldonado issued a public apology for the comment. He also maintained that he would not run for any further political office after his state Senate service; he was re-elected to the Senate in 2008 with 63% of the vote.

Lieutenant governor

Nomination

Lt. Governor Maldonado giving a speech, 2010 Abel Maldonado lg.png
Lt. Governor Maldonado giving a speech, 2010

On November 3, 2009, Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi resigned to take a seat in Congress. On the November 23, 2009, episode of The Jay Leno Show , Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that he was nominating Maldonado as lieutenant governor. Schwarzenegger cited Maldonado's "bipartisanship and postpartisanship...He makes decisions based on what's best for the people rather than what's best for the party. He has helped us, many times, pass a budget, which was very important. And he comes from an immigrant family..."

Maldonado needed to be confirmed by a majority vote of the State Senate and a majority vote of the State Assembly within 90 days of the nomination in order to take office as lieutenant governor. In a statement released by the Governor's office, Schwarzenegger called Maldonado a "true partner" and cited his willingness "to reach across the partisan divide" and "commitment to creating a transparent, accountable government" in California. [15]

Tenure

On February 11, 2010, Maldonado was confirmed as lieutenant governor by the state Senate by a 26-7 vote. However, his nomination was not approved by the State Assembly. Needing 41 votes (in the 80-seat Assembly) for confirmation in the lower chamber, he received 37 votes in favor, with 35 votes against. [16]

Based upon the vote in the Legislature, Governor Schwarzenegger considered having Maldonado sworn into office, which may have set up a legal battle with Democrats. Instead, Schwarzenegger resubmitted the nomination of Maldonado on February 17. Maldonado received confirmation from the Assembly on April 22, 2010 by a 53-21 vote and from the Senate on April 26, 2010 by a 25-7 vote. He was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor on April 27, 2010.

2010 election

Maldonado ran for the Republican nomination for the office in June and won with 43.4% of the vote. Maldonado was defeated on November 2, 2010 by Democratic San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. [17]

Career since 2010

2012 congressional campaign

In 2011, Maldonado announced his intention to challenge U.S. Representative Lois Capps, a Democrat, for her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2012 elections. [18] [19] [20] [21]

Maldonado was defeated by Capps in the election by a 55.2% to 44.8% margin.

2014 run for governor

On May 20, 2013, Maldonado announced he would run as a Republican in California’s 2014 gubernatorial election. [22]

On June 28, 2013, Maldonado came out in support of the Supreme Court's ruling that cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California, and said that same-sex couples should be afforded the same rights and protections as heterosexual couples. Although Maldonado had supported Proposition 8 in 2008, he reversed his position in 2011 when a cousin revealed that he was gay. He also said his four children helped change his position. [23]

Maldonado withdrew from the race on January 16, 2014. His campaign was beset by problems: he accused Governor Brown of things that occurred years before he was elected, he struggled to raise money, his campaign's senior staff left in September 2013, and his campaign failed to gain traction after the entry of fellow Republicans Tim Donnelly and Neel Kashkari into the race. [24] In announcing his withdrawal, Maldonado said: "Now is not my time... I know it's cliché to say I am not running so I can spend more time with my family. Everybody says that. But the truth is, that is, a major factor in my decision today. I have missed some birthdays, family holidays and even anniversaries. From this day forward [my wife] now controls my schedule." [24]

Potential Trump administration appointment

In January 2017, it was reported by CNN that Maldonado was an early frontrunner to serve as United States secretary of agriculture in the cabinet of then-President-elect Donald Trump. [2] His potential nomination was supported by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. [25] However, Sonny Perdue was ultimately chosen for the role instead, [26] a move that was criticized by former Governor Schwarzenegger. [27]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Representing His District: Abel Maldonado—The Only Republican Senator So Far to Vote for the California State Budget". Archived from the original on May 19, 2007.
  2. 1 2 Acosta, Jim (January 3, 2017). "Former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado emerging as front-runner for Trump's agriculture secretary | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Abel Maldonado, GOP candidate for California lieutenant governor". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. May 14, 2010. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 2, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ↑ "Abel Maldonado for Lt. Governor 2010 - California | About Abel | Biography". Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Consumer-backed bill fails; industry measure passes committee". USA Today. July 1, 2003. Archived from the original on July 5, 2004. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Is Abel too friendly with the energy biz?". Abrahamhyatt.com. March 10, 2005. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  8. ↑ "The Santa Barbara Independent Maldonado Caught In Free Fire Zone". Independent.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  9. ↑ Steinhauer, Jennifer (February 17, 2009). "California, Almost Broke, Nears Brink". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  10. ↑ Recall Maldonado Archived July 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  11. ↑ "San Francisco Chronicle, "Maldonado rebukes Poizner on budget", April 1, 2009". Archived from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Abel Maldonado". Archived from the original on December 14, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
  13. ↑ Election results June 2006 Archived June 29, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ "KSBW". Theksbwchannel.com. July 13, 2006. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Gov. Schwarzenegger Appoints Abel Maldonado Lieutenant Governor". November 23, 2009. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009.
  16. ↑ Bussewitz, Cathy (February 11, 2010). "Calif. Assembly rejects lt. governor nominee". Bakersfieldnow.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Lieutenant Governor by County" (PDF). General Election - Statement of Vote. California Secretary of State. January 6, 2011. pp. 29–31. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2011.
  18. ↑ Kuretich, Kathy (June 10, 2011). "New Congressional Districts for Central Coast". KSBY. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011.
  19. ↑ Molina, Joshua (June 14, 2011). "Mixed bag for new Santa Barbara districts: Williams benefits, Capps loses edge". Santa Barbara Daily Sound . Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  20. ↑ Meagher, Chris (June 11, 2011). "Redistricting Shakes Up Political Topography". Santa Barbara Independent . Archived from the original on June 19, 2011. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  21. ↑ Roberts, Jerry (June 14, 2011). "Mapping the Future". Santa Barbara Independent . Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  22. ↑ Cervantes, Niki (May 21, 2013). "Former Lt. Governor Abel Maldonado confirms he'll run for governor". lompocrecord.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  23. ↑ Mehta, Seema (June 28, 2013). "Abel Maldonado does about-face, supports gay marriage". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on July 13, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  24. 1 2 Mehta, Seema (January 16, 2014). "Abel Maldonado ends California gubernatorial bid: 'Now is not my time'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 21, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  25. ↑ "NALEO promotes Abel Maldonado as Trump's agriculture secretary". www.efe.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  26. ↑ Noozhawk (January 18, 2017). "Santa Maria's Abel Maldonado Bypassed by Trump for Agriculture Secretary". www.noozhawk.com. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  27. ↑ Siders, David; Marinucci, Carla (January 19, 2017). "Schwarzenegger dings Trump on Agriculture pick". POLITICO. Archived from the original on February 26, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
Abel Maldonado
Abel-Maldonado.jpg
Official portrait, 2010
48th Lieutenant Governor of California
In office
April 27, 2010 –January 3, 2011
California Assembly
Preceded by Member of the California State Assembly
from the 33rd district
1998–2004		Succeeded by
California Senate
Preceded by Member of the California State
from the 24th district
2004–2010		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by
Mona Pasquil
Acting
 Lieutenant Governor of California
2010–2011		Succeeded by
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