Politics

Davis Takes Charge In California

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

October 30, 1998 / 12:54 PM EST / CBS

Democratic Lt. Gov. Gray Davis has grabbed a 14-point lead over GOP rival Dan Lungren in the California governor race, according to a new poll.

The Field Poll showed Davis with a 52-39 percent edge over Lungren. Davis has maintained a steady single-digit lead over Lungren during the campaign and now seems to be pulling away.

"I think Lungren comes across as a little self-righteous, and that may wear on the voters over the course of a campaign," said political scientist Gary Jacobson. "People aren't showing up at his rallies. It has all the signs of a campaign that is fading."

This is the No. 1 race in the 1998 election. The governor of the nation's most populous state will play a major role in the congressional redistricting that will take place after the 2000 census.

Many political analysts believe that a redistricting favorable to the Democrats or Republicans could give that party up to a dozen additional House seats. That, in turn, could have an important bearing on which party controls the House.

Davis has waged a cautious campaign aimed at avoiding major mistakes. The strategy appears to be working.

Lungren has aggressively portrayed Davis as soft on crime, but the ideological differences between these moderates are small enough to make staking out a clear difference difficult for both men.

Davis has warded off Lungren's assault by citing his own crime-fighting record and by wrapping himself in the American flag. The Vietnam veteran's military experience is highlighted in his TV ads and a trio of veterans accompanied Davis at the press conferences that followed his debates with Lungren.

Davis is a rather colorless campaigner, but that seems to suit many California voters just fine. The Field Poll shows the Democrat with a whopping 64-24 percent lead over Lungren among voters who call themselves moderates.