California Governor
to Face Recall Vote
(AP)
|
| July
25 - Sacramento, California: On October 7, California voters will decide
whether or not Governor Gray Davis (Democrat) will be recalled and if so
who will replace him. |
 |
| The
field of candidates includes numerous popular figures in American culture
including famous actor and liberal Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, socialite-turned-columnist
Arianna Huffington, Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flint, 80’s sitcom
star of Diff’rent Strokes Gary Coleman whose candidacy was engineered
by an Oakland newspaper as a protest, and Peter Ueberroth, the former commissioner
of Major League Baseball, who is a registered Republican but is running
as an Independent. Other notable, but certainly not famous candidates include
Republican businessman Bill Simon, who lost to Davis in the November election,
democratic Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamente, who wants voters to vote against
the recall, but for him. Bustamente is the only major Democratic candidate
in the race aside from Davis himself. This fact may be pivotal to Davis’
survival in that a crowded Democratic field would split up his vote. There
are only two major Republican candidates – Schwarzenegger and Simon.
There will be no runoff in the recall election, so whoever gets the most
votes wins. |
As of Saturday,
August 9 (the deadline for candidates to file their paperwork) 96 had both
filed and paid their fees. To be an official candidate a person needs to
complete the appropriate candidacy paperwork, gather 65 signatures, and
pay a $3500 fee. On the recall ballot there will be two parts. First, voters
must check whether or not they believe Davis should be recalled. The second
part is a list of possible successors. If the vote goes against Davis then
the candidate who wins the most votes in the second question will be California’s
new governor. Davis has petitioned the state Supreme Court to have his name
placed on the second part of the ballot and to move the vote to March. If
Davis survives the recall vote he can legally require the state of California
to repay him for his campaign costs, which are estimated to go over $30
million.
The results of a CNN/Gallup poll were released on August 10 and showed that
24% of registered Californians would vote for Schwarzenegger, 8% for Bustamente,
4% for Bill Simon, 3% for Larry Flint, 2% for Arianna Huffington, 1% for
Gary Coleman, and the rest divided up amongst lesser known candidates. The
poll also asked whether or not Californians would recall Davis, answering
with a near 70% certainty that Davis will be recalled. |
