shooterx10
Member
- Joined
- May 8, 2003
- Messages
- 159
GO TOM GO! 
Ueberroth Quits California Recall Race
Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!
By CHELSEA J. CARTER, Associated Press Writer
COSTA MESA, Calif. - Peter Ueberroth dropped out of the California recall race Tuesday, leaving just two prominent Republicans seeking to replace Gov. Gray Davis (news - web sites).
The latest poll showed Ueberroth trailing badly among candidates in the Oct. 7 recall election. Exactly what Ueberroth's decision means to the remaining candidates remains unclear.
"I'm going to continue to work hard. I'm going to work very hard to keep jobs in this state and to create jobs in this state, but not as a candidate for governor," Ueberroth said at a news conference at his campaign headquarters.
"So I'm going to offer my services to the next Democrat or Republican governor, if he wants, to be part of a bipartisan group to work on the budget and to keep jobs in the state and bring new jobs to the state."
His exit was likely to be welcomed by Republicans who have lamented that having three prominent GOP candidates on the ballot would split the vote, ensuring that a Democrat would replace Davis if voters recall him from office.
The latest Field Poll seemed to confirm that, showing that the competing candidacies of remaining Republicans Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Sen. Tom McClintock are hurting the party's chances of taking over the governor's office.
Without McClintock in the race, Schwarzenegger would lead Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the only prominent Democrat, 33 percent to 31 percent, a statistical dead heat, pollsters said.
McClintock, who appeals to the Republican Party's conservative base, has repeatedly said he would not quit the race. Asked again Tuesday, he responded, "What is it about the word 'no' you guys don't understand?"
The twin candidacies are likely to be a central topic when the state Republican Party meets this weekend in Los Angeles.
In an interview with Los Angeles radio station KNX-AM, McClintock rejected the idea that Ueberroth's departure increased pressure on him to drop out.
"I think that Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to be under intense pressure to debate his fellow Republican at the state convention and state his positions as clearly and unequivocally as I have stated mine," he said. "I do not believe that a candidate can be taken seriously if he's not willing to face his opponent in an open debate."
Ueberroth's departure is the latest among GOP candidates. Former gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon and U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (news, bio, voting record), who financed the recall effort, earlier said they were dropping out of the race.
Simon and Ueberroth's names will still appear on the ballot, while Issa's will not because he never filed candidacy papers.
The latest poll shows Schwarzenegger as the leading GOP candidate, with the support of 25 percent of voters. McClintock was at 13 percent after gaining four points. Ueberroth, who said he was running as an independent, had 5 percent.
Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante was the leading candidate, with support from 30 percent of likely voters.
Ueberroth's decision could be good news for Schwarzenegger if Ueberroth throws his support behind the actor, said Ken Khachigian, a former strategist for Ronald Reagan (news - web sites) and a GOP analyst.
Schwarzenegger's camp said it anticipated meeting with Ueberroth to discuss his ideas on improving the economy.
"We look forward to meeting with Peter Ueberroth to discuss ways that Mr. Ueberroth and Arnold can work together to create jobs and turn California's economy around," said Todd Harris, a spokesman for the Schwarzenegger campaign.
The actor did not appear to have benefited significantly, however, from Simon's departure. Simon had 8 percent support before dropping out.
With only two major Republicans left in the race, McClintock's campaign could be aided, as well.
"McClintock has got much more of the spotlight now," Khachigian said. "He can go the to convention this weekend and say, look, there's two candidates in the race, let's hear from both of them to see who's best."
McClintock's solid, third-place showing underscored just how problematic his candidacy is for Schwarzenegger. He was energized by the results of the poll.
"Proportionally, it's the largest increase of any of the candidates. It's all in the right direction and very encouraging," he said.
The poll, conducted over a five-day period ending Sunday, was drawn from telephone interviews with 505 likely voters. It has a margin of sampling error of plus-or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Here is the link.
Ueberroth Quits California Recall Race
Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!
By CHELSEA J. CARTER, Associated Press Writer
COSTA MESA, Calif. - Peter Ueberroth dropped out of the California recall race Tuesday, leaving just two prominent Republicans seeking to replace Gov. Gray Davis (news - web sites).
The latest poll showed Ueberroth trailing badly among candidates in the Oct. 7 recall election. Exactly what Ueberroth's decision means to the remaining candidates remains unclear.
"I'm going to continue to work hard. I'm going to work very hard to keep jobs in this state and to create jobs in this state, but not as a candidate for governor," Ueberroth said at a news conference at his campaign headquarters.
"So I'm going to offer my services to the next Democrat or Republican governor, if he wants, to be part of a bipartisan group to work on the budget and to keep jobs in the state and bring new jobs to the state."
His exit was likely to be welcomed by Republicans who have lamented that having three prominent GOP candidates on the ballot would split the vote, ensuring that a Democrat would replace Davis if voters recall him from office.
The latest Field Poll seemed to confirm that, showing that the competing candidacies of remaining Republicans Arnold Schwarzenegger and state Sen. Tom McClintock are hurting the party's chances of taking over the governor's office.
Without McClintock in the race, Schwarzenegger would lead Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the only prominent Democrat, 33 percent to 31 percent, a statistical dead heat, pollsters said.
McClintock, who appeals to the Republican Party's conservative base, has repeatedly said he would not quit the race. Asked again Tuesday, he responded, "What is it about the word 'no' you guys don't understand?"
The twin candidacies are likely to be a central topic when the state Republican Party meets this weekend in Los Angeles.
In an interview with Los Angeles radio station KNX-AM, McClintock rejected the idea that Ueberroth's departure increased pressure on him to drop out.
"I think that Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to be under intense pressure to debate his fellow Republican at the state convention and state his positions as clearly and unequivocally as I have stated mine," he said. "I do not believe that a candidate can be taken seriously if he's not willing to face his opponent in an open debate."
Ueberroth's departure is the latest among GOP candidates. Former gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon and U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa (news, bio, voting record), who financed the recall effort, earlier said they were dropping out of the race.
Simon and Ueberroth's names will still appear on the ballot, while Issa's will not because he never filed candidacy papers.
The latest poll shows Schwarzenegger as the leading GOP candidate, with the support of 25 percent of voters. McClintock was at 13 percent after gaining four points. Ueberroth, who said he was running as an independent, had 5 percent.
Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante was the leading candidate, with support from 30 percent of likely voters.
Ueberroth's decision could be good news for Schwarzenegger if Ueberroth throws his support behind the actor, said Ken Khachigian, a former strategist for Ronald Reagan (news - web sites) and a GOP analyst.
Schwarzenegger's camp said it anticipated meeting with Ueberroth to discuss his ideas on improving the economy.
"We look forward to meeting with Peter Ueberroth to discuss ways that Mr. Ueberroth and Arnold can work together to create jobs and turn California's economy around," said Todd Harris, a spokesman for the Schwarzenegger campaign.
The actor did not appear to have benefited significantly, however, from Simon's departure. Simon had 8 percent support before dropping out.
With only two major Republicans left in the race, McClintock's campaign could be aided, as well.
"McClintock has got much more of the spotlight now," Khachigian said. "He can go the to convention this weekend and say, look, there's two candidates in the race, let's hear from both of them to see who's best."
McClintock's solid, third-place showing underscored just how problematic his candidacy is for Schwarzenegger. He was energized by the results of the poll.
"Proportionally, it's the largest increase of any of the candidates. It's all in the right direction and very encouraging," he said.
The poll, conducted over a five-day period ending Sunday, was drawn from telephone interviews with 505 likely voters. It has a margin of sampling error of plus-or minus 4.5 percentage points.
Here is the link.
