Is there a competent Democrat anywhere in America? California yearns to know:
<<Gov. Davis Begins Re-Election Effort
By ALEXA HAUSSLER, Associated Press Writer
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - After months of struggling to keep the lights on and his political fortunes intact, Gov. Gray Davis is launching a surprisingly early re-election bid.
The election is more than a year away, but the 58-year-old first-term Democrat is already tapping his deep campaign treasury to begin a statewide media campaign next week. He has also set up a campaign Web site.
``It seems very early for a governor to be involved in a re-election campaign, but this has been a very unusual period of time for Californians,'' said Mark Baldassare, a pollster for the Public Policy Institute of California.
Davis has come under attack from the Republicans over his handling of the power crisis and is awaiting word on whether former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan - the most formidable GOP foe on the horizon - will run for governor.
Riordan has said he will decide by the fall whether to challenge Davis. State and national Republicans, including President Bush, have encouraged him to run.
So far, two Republicans have gotten into the race: California Secretary of State Bill Jones and millionaire businessman William E. Simon Jr., whose father was treasury secretary in the Ford and Nixon administrations.
The governor was scheduled Friday afternoon to unveil the statewide media campaign. The Web site features a photo of Davis next to actor Martin Sheen, who plays a liberal Democratic president on NBC's ``The West Wing.'' The site also lists Davis' accomplishments and contains links to ``tips on saving energy.''
Davis' approval ratings plummeted amid the power crisis to their lowest level since he took office. A Field Institute poll in May found that 42 percent approved of his job performance, while 49 percent disapproved. In January, the governor's approval rating was 60 percent.
Davis' opponents have said he acted too late in the power crunch, failing to prevent soaring electricity prices and six days of rolling blackouts since January.
``His inattention to duty, inaction and lack of leadership has unnecessarily caused much of the economic turmoil our state faces today,'' Jones said last month.
An attack-ad campaign against Davis began in June, credited to a group called the American Taxpayers Alliance but produced by GOP strategists and paid for by electricity generators. It criticizes Davis for failing to secure long-term, cost-saving contracts before wholesale prices soared.>> |
