There is a question if Campbell will be able to serve without the state legislature's confirmation. (KTUUD-DT) |
That's after telling Channel 2 Wednesday he would step down from being the designee to let Palin's new pick for lieutenant governor, Lt. Gen. Craig Campbell, take the reins.
It's the latest twist in this constitutional battle, all surrounding the question of who will be the next lieutenant governor, and when.
Thursday night Schmidt, the Department of Corrections commissioner, spoke out about why he made the decision to take his name out of the running for lieutenant governor.
"It was time for me to resign when I did," Schmidt said. "And if there's a legal question, you know I'm playing for the team, not the title."
Schmidt says he stepped aside to allow Campbell -- the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs commissioner and Palin's latest lieutenant governor-designee -- to step in.
"I needed to clear a way for Mr. Campbell to come in," Schmidt said. "And my resigning did that, of course that was before legal questions were raised."
Those legal questions include whether or not Campbell would be able to serve without the state Legislature's confirmation first once Palin steps down.
And on Thursday Schmidt told Channel 2 he will be willing to stay on as a confirmed lieutenant governor-designee until those legal issues are sorted out.
"If the legal process shows I need to fill for a moment, I'm happy to do that," Schmidt said. "If not then I'll stand with what I'm doing."
But House Speaker Mike Chenault, one of the people in charge of potentially organizing a confirmation vote for Campbel, says Thursday's announcement might not bode well for the administration going forward.
"If he's resigned, and now he's saying he didn't resign, then I don't know how much confidence I have in whatever plan the administration is putting together," Chenault said.
Chenault says he'd like to see this transfer of power go through as smoothly as possible.
The challenge is to do that, and follow what the constitution says, can be up to interpretation.
Contact Jason Lamb at jlamb@ktuu.com
