URL:http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,95560,00.html
Poll Favoring Dems Fuels Call for GOP Unity Around Schwarzenegger
Sunday, August 24, 2003
SAN FRANCISCO — A new poll showing Arnold Schwarzenegger behind in the race to succeed Gov. Gray Davis if he is recalled has prompted top Republicans to warn that the party must unite behind the actor or risk keeping the state's top office in Democratic hands.
The Los Angeles Times poll showed Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante with 35 percent support among likely voters, compared to 22 percent for Schwarzenegger. Collectively, three other Republican candidates -- including one who dropped out of the race Saturday -- had 25 percent support.
"The headline here is that Republicans are winning but the vote is split, so pressure by Republicans to coalesce behind a single candidate will be greater than ever," said Allan Hoffenblum, a former Republican strategist. "It's a competitive race, and it needs to be turned into a two-person race between Schwarzenegger and Bustamante."
The recall ballot will have two parts. Voters first will be asked to vote yes or no on whether to recall Davis, and then will choose from a list of 135 candidates to replace him if he is recalled.
The Times poll released Sunday found that Bustamante, the only major Democrat in the field, enjoyed solid support among Democratic voters and split the independent vote almost evenly with Schwarzenegger. By contrast, Republican votes were fractured among the four major Republican candidates.
Schwarzenegger got 39 percent of Republican votes, with 21 percent going to state Sen. Tom McClintock, 12 percent to businessman Bill Simon and 10 percent to former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth. The poll of 801 likely voters, conducted Aug. 16-21, had a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
Simon dropped out of the race Saturday, saying the crowded field would hurt Republican chances.
"Mr. Simon spelled it out clearly yesterday -- there are too many candidates in the race," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Sean Walsh. "Clearly, from all parts of the spectrum, there is activity that says Arnold is the guy, and we should be supporting him very vigorously."
Neither of the remaining candidates appeared ready to exit anytime soon.
A spokesman said Sunday that Ueberroth would remain in the race and that his campaign would launch radio ads this week. McClintock, a conservative favorite, said the poll results and Simon's exit from the field have only strengthened his determination to remain a candidate.
Taking a page from popular culture, McClintock compared himself to the famous underdog racehorse Seabiscuit and his legendary battle with Triple Crown winner War Admiral.
"I understand that War Admiral doesn't want to race, but Seabiscuit does," McClintock said. "This horse is in the race to the finish line."
On the Democratic side, the poll was the latest piece of good news for Bustamante, whose campaign picked up several key endorsements in recent days. Even Davis, who has opposed the lieutenant governor's "no on recall, yes on Bustamante" strategy, is edging closer to adopting the strategy as the best way to save his job.
"There is no question that I have a lot of confidence in Cruz Bustamante -- he is the most qualified person on question number two," Davis said on CNN Sunday. "I understand why other Democrats would want a safety valve -- it is a perfectly rational position to take."
Davis refused to say whether he would vote for Bustamante on the second part of the ballot, saying he'd announce that decision 10 days before the election.
Bustamante was said to be unfazed by the poll's results.
"He said to me ... we have to work harder," said Bustamante strategist Richie Ross. "We're working 19 hours a day, and he told me to bump it up to 20."
"Cruz is projecting a level of confidence that is reassuring to Democrats," said longtime Democratic strategist Bill Carrick. "It sends a message to the base that says hey, maybe we can pull this off." |
