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+--- Thread: Senate seats (/showthread.php?tid=5193)
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Senate seats - PaulW - 02-13-2009
With the recent upheaval of the vacant senate seats in Illinois and New York I learned something new: the state governor has absolute power to appoint anyone they like (even themselves) to a US senate seat that becomes vacant.
How would that work in states like Hawaii where the governor isn't of the same party as both US senators? The US senate is often so finely balanced.
RE: Senate seats - Jon - 02-13-2009
They get to appoint who ever they think is best for the job...
Before New Hampshire Republican Sen. Judd Gregg agreed to take the job of Commerce secretary, he asked Democrat Governor John Lynch to promise to appoint a Republican to the seat.
Judd Gregg later withdrew his nomination.
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I do not believe that America is better than everybody else...
America "IS" everybody else.
HBAT
RE: Senate seats - Jon - 02-13-2009
The 17th amendment is part of the state power erosion that continues today. So there will be a wave of change to remove the power of the state to appoint Senators at all and special elections will have to be held every time.
Today, Senate seats are really elected by national money and state vote, look at the records of any US Senators campaign and you will see that they take money from all over the country not just their state.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventeenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution
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I do not believe that America is better than everybody else...
America "IS" everybody else.
HBAT
RE: Senate seats - JerryCarr - 02-13-2009
Given that both of our U.S. Senators are octogenarians, the question of whom Gov. Lingle would appoint in the event of a vacancy is an interesting and pertinent one. Should she appoint a Republican, there would be a storm of protest, but since she is essentially a lame duck, she might not care.
Cheers,
Jerry
RE: Senate seats - Dave Smith - 02-13-2009
As it stands now, Lingle would have to pick a Democrat.
The 17th amendment allows state legislatures to determine how their vacancies would be filled. According to ยค17-1 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, a U.S. Senator vacancy would be filled at the next general election, or the one after that if the vacancy occurs within 60 days of the next primary election. In the meantime, the governor makes a temporary appointment from a list of three prospective candidates submitted by the same political party as the senator being replaced.
All three of the candidates must have been a member of that political party for at least six months, the result of a 2007 law change after a 2005 fiasco involving a state House replacement. Lingle had appointed Bev Harbin, a small-business advocate, to fill a state House seat on Oahu to replace a Democrat who resigned. The problem was, Harbin had joined the Democratic Party shortly before her appointment. She also was soon found to have a criminal record for passing bad checks and $125,000 in outstanding tax debt. Harbin reportedly refused Lingle's request that she resign, ran for election in 2006 and lost in the primary.
RE: Senate seats - frankiestapleton - 02-13-2009
I messaged late last year about how all these political forces are taking the pulse of Senators Inouye and Akaka daily as the Hawaii terrain is wide open, with no clear leader in our state politicos for gov or the DC Senate positions...think about it: We've got Linda Lingle, Neil Abercrombie, Ed Case, Mufi Hanneman, Coleen Hanabusa, and Duke Aiona all eyeing stepping up in 2010, IF NOT BEFORE!
And it would fit right into Lingle's MO to find a way to appoint herself if one of the Senate seats opens up, leaving Aiona as acting gov. which would give him a great advantage in a 2010 election! And don't believe she wouldn't do it. She was kinda doing that leading into this past Nov's elections...she was campaigning nationally while letting Duke play at being gov!
RE: Senate seats - PaulW - 02-13-2009
I was wondering why the heck she was out there campaigning for what was likely to be a lost cause.
Thanks for the info Dave, that statute was a good idea.
So she can't appoint herself, in any case.
RE: Senate seats - amf217 - 02-13-2009
I am sure she would appoint whomever made the proper donation.
I got a laugh that they came down so hard on the Gov. in Ill over doing what is an acceptable practice in most states.
RE: Senate seats - james weatherford - 02-14-2009
If it is so "acceptable", then you should be able to easily cite a few examples, with verifiable details, to back up your claim?
...otherwise, you are just blowing hot air
James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park
RE: Senate seats - amf217 - 02-15-2009
Didn't say is was a good or decent practice, didn't say that is is the way it should be. If you haven't run in to it well good for you.
No I will not give you the details,and I do know them, so you can believe it or not.