Independent state senate candidate Jim Fitzgerald accused incumbent Sen. Abel Maldonado (R-Santa Maria) of wanting to have it both ways, running as a Republican but appearing on slate mailers for Democratic and independent voters.

"I wonder if John McCain would have let him speak at the RNC if he knew that Abel would be paying for flyers that tell voters to vote for Barack Obama," said Fitzgerald, a retired UPS worker who is self-financing his campaign, in a press release. "I wonder if the Republican Party would have contributed over $50,000 to Abel's campaign if they knew that he was going to pay $12,000 to appear on literature that promotes the Democratic ticket."

Fitzgerald, from Nipomo, qualified for the November 4 ballot as an independent against Maldonado in the 15th State Senate District after no Democrat filed paperwork in time.

Brandon Gesicki, Maldonado's campaign manager, said the lack of a Democratic challenger is why Maldonado appears on their slate mailer.

Because of that, he said, Maldonado was allowed to pay his way onto the mailer alongside recommended Democratic candidates such as Barack Obama and U.S. Rep. Lois Capps (D-Santa Barbara).

"I think that goes back to showing that the senator has a great record of working across the aisle," he said.

He noted that Maldonado, a moderate, has also been endorsed by the California Teachers Association and a local AFL-CIO chapter, labor groups that often back Democrats.

During the primary, Maldonado appeared on both the Democratic and Republican ballots, running as a Democrat, he said, so that his mother could vote for him.