With the inevitable vacancy that will be created by the departure of Lt. Gov. John Garamendi for Congress, there will be an intriguing opportunity for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to appoint his replacement.

There are several things to consider: whoever Schwarzenegger appoints must be confirmed by BOTH houses of the legislature. All of the people running for Lt. Gov. in 2010 are current members of the State Senate. The appointee would have a distinct advantage in the 2010 race for the position or could even use the new appointment as a platform to run for another office. If the Governor appoints a member of the legislature, there would then be a special election to replace that newly-vacated seat, and the results of that could election could alter the dynamics of the legislature. A final thing to consider is that this Governor is quite unpredictable and is not loyal to either party, so he could shake things up with a wildcard that no one has predicted.

With all that being said, and this is certainly not based on anything other than rumors, here is a list of some of the potential candidates.

Republicans

Abel Maldonado: A key swing vote for Schwarzenegger in July and February’s budget standoff (and in previous budget deals), he has helped the Governor’s agenda countless times over the years. Maldonado’s Senate vacancy would open up a seat that could be taken by the Democrats, but if he maintains in his seat, Maldonado would not term out until 2012. This would be an interesting choice because it would mean that Maldonado would have the opportunity to perhaps set his sights on higher office or run for re-election as Lt. Gov. in 2010. This experience would give him an advantage in the Lt. Gov. Republican Primary Election where Maldonado’s centrism would normally be his downfall. However, that same centrism would certainly be an asset in the general election where he would have the Republican base of votes and the moderates, making him a formidable challenger for anyone in that race.

Tom Campbell: The other OTHER Republican candidate for governor in 2010. He was Schwarzenegger’s Director of Finance from 2004-05 and the youngest tenured professor ever at Stanford University. This could mean he would drop his bid for Governor and run for Lt. Governor in 2010 or use it as a platform to continue his bid for governor. This would create a scenario eerily similar to 1998, when then Lt. Gov. Gray Davis was running third in the race for Governor to two wealthy candidates, Al Checchi and Jane Harman. As we know, Gray Davis went on to win the race after the other candidates destroyed each other with personal attacks and seemingly endless financial resources. Could history repeat itself with Campbell quietly defeating the two wealthy candidates using the Lt. Gov. position to his distinct advantage?

Mike Villines: Former Minority Leader in the Assembly, who was one of the original negotiators and strong advocate for the Governor’s February budget deal. He terms out of his current Assembly seat in 2010 and is planning to run for Insurance Commissioner in 2010, so spending a few months as Lt. Gov. would certainly help that cause (unless he decides to run for re-election as Lt. Gov., of course).

Richard Riordan: The last Republican Mayor of Los Angeles was actually suggested as a candidate by former Senate President Pro Tem and current California Democratic Party Chair John Burton. Riordan is a close friend of Schwarzenegger, who appointed Riordan to his cabinet as Education Secretary from 2003 to 2005. The best part for many of the candidates eying the Lt. Gov. race in 2010 is that at 78, Riordan is not a likely candidate to run for re-election (when he will be 80 years old).

Jeff Denham: This appointment would probably be squashed by Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez who would not want to face an incumbent Republican Lt. Gov. in the general election. But this would make for some interesting political fodder, as several Democrats consider breaking from their caucus’s 2nd-ranking leader to join a bipartisan coalition to approve Denham. Although if they did do that, they would still end up with Florez as their #2 leader in the senate and have to suffer the consequences of going against his recommendation to reject Denham’s nomination.

Tom McClintock: It was reported several months ago that he was conducting preliminary polling regarding a bid for governor. An appointment to Lt. Gov. would most certainly make him a favorite to win the Republican nomination. While he has never held state-wide office before, this appointment could be the boost he needs to make it to the next level.

Doug Ose: The appointment of the former Republican Congressman from the 5th District would certainly turn some heads, but Ose is well-respected on both sides of the aisle and has been successfully managing his own business since returning to private life. With a reputation as a tax-fighter and no plans to run for any office at this time, he might be on the small list of candidates the legislature would approve. (Assuming he does not run for re-election against Dean Florez that is).

Roy Ashburn: Candidate for Board of Equalization District 2 and current Senator from the 18th district. His election would be a safe seat for Republicans in the Senate and he is terming out in 2010 anyway, so it would just bump up the fall election a few months. He could then use the appointment to his advantage in the race for Board of Equalization but would also give him an option to run for Lt. Gov. himself in 2010.

Democrats:

Former State Controller Steve Westly: Actively campaigned with Schwarzenegger in 2004 on the governor’s ballot measures. He is a Democrat, but a moderate one. Dean Florez, who is running for Lt. Gov. in 2010, would only approve of a candidate who would step aside and not run in 2010 to clear the way for himself, so for any Democrat to be approved would certainly require a bipartisan coalition.

Former Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg: Current Co-Chair of California Forward and close political ally of Schwarzenegger. Once again though, Florez probably would not let any Democrat be approved if he posed competition for himself in 2010.

Another interesting thing to note is that there is no timeline in the California Constitution indicating when the Governor must make the appointment by, so technically, he could leave the seat vacant through the next election.

Of course, it is also important to remember that all of this is pure conjecture, there is no way to know exactly what is going on in the Governor’s head, but this is certainly a good list from which the discussion can begin.