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Politics : WHO IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2004 -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (5116)	9/28/2003 8:11:47 PM
From: calgal	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 10965

Posted on Sun, Sep. 28, 2003 GOP trying to budge McClintock supporters By Barry Witt Mercury News If Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock keeps his promise to see this recall election all the way to its conclusion Oct. 7, then the real pressure will shift to Melissa Zenor. Never heard of her? She's a clerk for United Airlines who lives in the San Mateo County community of Montara. Last week, she contributed $5,000 to McClintock's campaign. ``As far as I'm concerned, he's the only candidate in the race that can get us out of the troubles we're in,'' Zenor said Saturday. GOP nightmare It's voters such as Zenor -- the ones who are standing by McClintock come hell or Cruz Bustamante -- who have state Republican Party leaders worried sick. They look at poll numbers showing Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger running neck-and-neck with Bustamante, the Democratic lieutenant governor, in a three-person race that includes McClintock. With McClintock gone, Schwarzenegger would open a big lead. Monday, the state's Republican leadership plans to gather in a special meeting to consider endorsing Schwarzenegger, just in case the daily pleas to McClintock supporters to abandon their candidate to improve the chances of taking over the governor's office haven't sunk in yet. Will that message make a difference? Not to Zenor. ``I've heard it time and again, but I just think I have to vote for the best candidate and hope my guy can make it through,'' she said. Zenor describes herself as a ``social conservative'' -- making McClintock a far better match for her than Schwarzenegger, who supports abortion rights, domestic-partner rights and limits on gun ownership. But she said the real reason for supporting McClintock is that she has more confidence in him on economic issues. Schwarzenegger's ``association with Warren Buffett certainly doesn't help him,'' she said of the business executive and Schwarzenegger adviser who has called for the state to undo Proposition 13. Francine Welstand, a homemaker from Pinole, also isn't about to jump from McClintock. She labels ``abhorrent'' the calls for the conservative senator from Thousand Oaks to drop out. No compromises ``He's the best man for the job. I don't think he should withdraw. I want to vote for someone who reflects my principles,'' said Welstand, who sent McClintock a $1,000 check in early August. ``I believe him when he says he will not raise taxes. No other candidate has said that.'' To be sure, some McClintock supporters will switch sides if it appears by Election Day that a vote for him will help Bustamante win. ``Tom McClintock is way up there for me, right to the ceiling,'' said Joe Czisch, 56, of Cupertino, who runs a precision machining company in Palo Alto. ``But if I find out one or two days before the election he can't win, I'll vote for Arnold just to get the Democrats out of there.'' Czisch, who sent McClintock $1,000 two weeks ago, said he wouldn't be entirely happy with his choice, but it's the best option he has. ``I'm a real conservative,'' he said. ``Some of the views Arnold Schwarzenegger has are not my views, but if we do this step by step, there would be a chance to turn things around eventually. Tom McClintock is a very good person. I wish he could be in power, but I'm not sure at this time.''