Democrat John Laird joins fray to replace Maldonado

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

As expected, former Assemblyman John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) announced his candidacy for the senate seat vacated by Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado.

Laird, a former chairman of the Assembly Budget Committee, joins Republican Sam Blakeslee (R-San Luis Obispo) as formally declared candidates for the seat. All candidates will appear on the same ballot June 22. If no candidate receives 50% of the vote, the top vote-getter from each party will advance to an Aug. 17 runoff.

Democrats and officials in the five counties that make up the Central Coast district have asked Schwarzenegger to change the election date and consolidate the race with the November general election.

Counties say the extra ballot will cost them an additional $2.5 million. Democrats say a November election will ensure that more voters participate.

Laird himself took issue with the governor’s decision in a speech today. ‘By not consolidating the special election with the regularly scheduled November general election, the governor is costing the counties of the 15th Senate District over $2.5 million,’ he said. ‘That’s $2.5 million that will come out of the budget for schools, for seniors, for health services – money our counties cannot afford. This amount would save the jobs of 31 teachers. That is the cost of this political play.’

-- Anthony York