From LATimes:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s nominee to fill the vacant lieutenant governor’s office cleared his last significant hurdle Thursday, apparently ending a drawn-out political ordeal that had become emblematic of Sacramento’s partisan gridlock.

State Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) was approved by the Assembly on Thursday and faces a second confirmation vote Monday in the state Senate, but the upper house approved him once before, in February, and is not expected to vote against him now.

Maldonado, who gained notoriety by crossing party lines to vote with majority Democrats for the state budget last year, had to navigate a political minefield of fellow Republicans who called him a traitor for agreeing to tax increases and Democrats bent on denying him the advantage of incumbency in November’s election.

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