Naked Partisanship In Calif. Race

California's electoral scene grew more confused Monday as the governor went to court to delay a looming recall vote, his Democratic colleagues discussed running a replacement for him, and a pornographer entered the race to succeed him.

Lawyers for Gov. Gray Davis asked the California Supreme Court on Monday to delay the Oct. 7 recall election until March and to list Davis' name on the ballot among the candidates seeking to replace him. Currently, state law bars him from appearing on the replacement ballot.

Meanwhile, seventeen state senators met behind closed doors to discuss a possible Democratic alternative to Davis.

After the meeting, lawmakers declined to endorse having an alternate candidate on the ballot. But one official wondered whether "putting all the eggs in one basket makes sense." Sen. Barbara Boxer said Democrats should field another candidate if polls indicate Davis would lose.

For now only Republicans and unknown Democrats are in the race as alternatives to Davis. The rapidly changing list of potential candidates grew Monday, as pornography mogul Larry Flynt declared his intent to join the race.

Flynt, the publisher of Hustler magazine, said the candidate with the best name recognition would probably win. "I felt that there was nobody out there that had better name recognition than I did," said Flynt, who would run as a Democrat.

A potential Flynt candidacy and speculation about the aspirations of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger led Boxer to conclude Democrats shouldn't necessarily pin all their hopes on Davis, she said.

Davis, once considered a possible presidential contender, has seen his popularity tumble amid California's energy crisis, economic decline and budget woes. Last month, opponents gathered more than 900,000 signatures to force the recall vote.

With only $3,500 and 65 signatures required to enter the race — and no plurality needed to win it — a candidate with a minority of votes could win the race.

Counties have reported 344 people taking out nominating papers so far, but none had completed the application process, the secretary of state's office said on its Web site.

Democratic leaders in California decided early on to try to defeat the recall by keeping viable Democratic candidates off the ballot. But several elected officials — including Boxer and three of the state's representatives in Congress — last week publicly questioned that strategy.

Boxer said she strongly opposes the recall, but that Democrats should field another candidate if polls show Davis would lose his job. After examining poll results this week, Boxer said she'll say by Friday if she thinks another Democrat should run. The deadline to enter the race is Saturday.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez said Monday she believed the Democrats would field an alternate to Davis even if their first choice, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, decides not to run. Feinstein has said she is flattered but has declined further comment.

Davis, who received big backing from organized labor in his previous two elections, sought labor's help again Monday in meetings with AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and other union officials. He was to address the full council, which meets in closed sessions, on Tuesday.

Voters will make two decisions in the recall election: whether to remove Davis, and whom to choose as his successor if he is recalled. Under California election law, the subject of the recall cannot be on the list of replacement candidates.

Invoking the specter of a Florida-style polling debacle, the governor's lawyers on Monday claimed voters will be disenfranchised because counties do not have enough money or time to properly prepare for the Oct. 7 election.

Without a delay, they say, the counties will have to use outdated punch-card machines and open fewer polling places to save money — confusing and inconveniencing voters.

They also want the court to allow Davis to add his own name to the list of replacements on the recall ballot. The governor's lawyers say keeping his name off the list would violate the equal-protection rights of people who vote for Davis.

Davis' court bid to challenge that law is among the strongest of the five related challenges pending before the California Supreme Court.

The four others include two that would reduce the two-part Oct. 7 ballot to a simple yes or no decision on the recall, eliminating any vote for successors and replacing Davis with Lt. Gov Cruz Bustamante, a fellow Democrat.

Another would remove two propositions from the recall ballot. The fifth petition questions the $3,500 fee and 65 signatures needed to get on the recall ballot.