Arnold Pumps Up PR Machine

The filing deadline is less than a day away and the list of potential candidates is already in excess of 500, but the man grabbing all the attention in the California gubernatorial recall race remains Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Two days after announcing his candidacy on "The Tonight Show," Schwarzenegger appeared on CBS News' Early Show, where he stayed firmly on message and sidestepped specifics like a seasoned politician.

Asked by Early Show Co-Anchor Harry Smith about his qualifications, Schwarzenegger said, "We have to worry about the environment. We have to worry about the airports overcrowding. We have to worry about the schools and all this."

Later, at the opening of the Inner City Games, an event he co-founded in Los Angeles in 1991, Schwarzenegger told a cheering crowd that, if elected, he would "continue my crusade for this state and across the country to make sure that after-school programs are available in all the public schools in the whole United States."

But political analyst Jack Pitney says the actor "has to demonstrate that he has some mastery of the issues apart from after-school education. And it remains to be seen how well he'll do on that score."

His campaign is drawing media coverage usually reserved for presidential elections, but Schwarzenegger says to him it's no different than competing in a bodybuilding contest.

"You never worry about who was competing against you," he said. "What you have to do is everything that you can in order to win – get the message out in this case."

The message had Democrats scrambling for a second straight day, reports CBS News Correspondent Jerry Bowen. State Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi started campaigning and Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante filed papers to replace their boss, Gray Davis, who was philosophical about his troubles.

"The Terminator, he may be back, he may not be back. We'll see. The people will make that choice," Davis said.

President Bush, who had previously taken pains to stress that he would stay out of the California race, seemed to endorse Schwarzenegger's run on Friday.

Asked about the actor at his Texas ranch, Mr. Bush said, "I think he'd be a good governor." He added jokingly that he would never arm-wrestle with him.

"I'm interested in the process. It's fascinating to see who's in and who's out," Mr. Bush said.

On the Democratic side, the pressure has started mounting on Davis in Washington, with party sources saying House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California had reversed herself and concluded the party needs a replacement candidate.

Garamendi said Friday he received three calls in the last day about dropping out of the race. He would not name those who had called him, but added the discussions did not involve major political players in California.

"My comment to them is, no I'm not getting out," Garamendi said. "I'm in this race until Oct. 7."

Bustamante, a former state Assembly speaker and the first Hispanic elected to statewide office in more than 100 years, was the first prominent Democrat to enter the fray despite weeks of saying he would stay out.

He decided to enter as a backup candidate after polls showed Davis vulnerable, but said he would campaign against the recall.

On Thursday, the field of candidates changed almost hourly, with two prominent Republicans clearing out to make way for Schwarzenegger. Rep. Darrell Issa, the leader of the recall effort, withdrew in a tearful news conference, saying that Schwarzenegger's decision to run helped assure him enough qualified candidates would seek the office.

And former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan, the top potential Republican contender in recent polls, announced he would endorse Schwarzenegger, a fellow GOP moderate.

One big-name Republican also jumped into the race: former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth.

Elsewhere, Green Party candidate Peter Camejo, who earned 5.3 percent of the vote in last year's governor's race, also added his name to the list. GOP businessman Bill Simon, who lost to Davis in November, was expected to join the race Saturday.

The field already includes independent political commentator Arianna Huffington, porn publisher Larry Flynt, former child actor Gary Coleman and watermelon-smashing comic Gallagher.

Thursday's feverish activity was capped with a decision by the California Supreme Court that apparently cleared the way for the Oct. 7 ballot.

The justices, six Republicans and one Democrat, declined to intervene in five petitions seeking to delay, block or alter the recall provision that has created a free-for-all among politicians, businessmen, celebrities and any dreamer with $3,500 and 65 signatures.

Under the law passed by voters in 1911, the ballot will offer two options: whether to recall Davis; and who should replace him.

And now even the issue of hanging chads is being raised. The ACLU and the California NAACP say the punch-card voting machines used in some counties are unreliable, and because they're used more in minority precincts, are unfair under the law. They've asked a judge to delay the election.