You Can Finally Call Her Director

Linda Martinez's nomination to become the Director of Economic Development was confirmed by the State Senate just before 11 a.m. today by a voice vote.

The vote came after an impassioned floor speech by Sen. Scott Rupp, who opposed Martinez's nomination and compared Governor Jay Nixon to the impeached Rod Blagojevich. "You might think you can intimidate me because you're the governor, but you are wrong," Rupp said. Rupp felt Nixon's team had threatened political repercussions if he didn't end his filibuster -- a delay that was sparked by concerns about illegal immigration.

There was no roll call vote.

By listening to the voice vote, it appeared that several Senators voted against Martinez.

Just before Sen. Robin Wright-Jones renewed her motion to confirm, Sen. Matt Bartle said "there are none of" Nixon's nominees that he plans to vote against right now. But Bartle also praised Rupp for bringing the concerns to light.