Whole Lotto Fun In California
California held its latest lottery Monday, not for cash but for a coveted position on the gubernatorial recall ballot. And with nearly 100 candidates already qualified to run and more than 100 others lining up, getting a top spot on the ballot could mean the difference between winning and losing.
The six-minute process set the order for candidates' names to appear on the Oct. 7 ballot. The first letter chosen by state election officials was "R" (as in "recall"), followed by W and Q.
Candidates whose last names start with those letters will appear high on some ballots, but the order will be rotated among the 80 state Assembly districts. In L.A. County alone, for example, there will be 26 different ballots.
The letters H, B and S, were drawn as eighth, ninth and tenth, meaning that some high-profile candidates – commentator Arianna Huffington, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger – will be relatively near each other on most ballots.
Meanwhile, the man they're all trying to replace, Gov. Gray Davis, said in an interview broadcast Monday that the whole effort to recall him was an insult to voters.
"I don't like this but I am trying to suppress those negative feelings and channel my energies into doing something positive for the people I work for, the people of this great state," Davis said in a television interview.
Davis said he has "gotten the message. I understand a lot of people signed a recall." But he also called it "an insult to the 8 million people who went to the polls last November and decided I should be governor."
The biggest name in the race was across the country in New York on Monday. GOP hopeful Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared at a gathering related to his effort to foster after-school programs, joking to the crowd that the large number of journalists present were "all there for you."
Schwarzenegger, who has avoided detailed interviews in California since launching his bid, did not take questions after his remarks in New York.
A spokesman, Rob Stutzman, said Schwarzenegger would release policy plans, but did not say when.
"There's been no intention to avoid specifics, but in due time and in his time and in the manner that he wants to he will lay that vision out," said Stutzman.
Secretary of State Kevin Shelley said Monday that his office has already certified 96 names and is reviewing paperwork submitted by 99 more. The final list of certified candidates is due to be released Wednesday.
Some of the more colorful candidates in the diverse field include former child actor Gary Coleman, melon-smashing comedian Gallagher, smut peddler Larry Flynt and the porn star known as Mary Carey.
The long list of challengers could cause delays in vote counting and boost election costs, already estimated at $67 million.
The ballot itself is in two parts. In part one, voters say "yes" or "no" to the recall. In part two, they choose the candidate they'd like to replace Davis if he's recalled.
Davis will lose if he gets less than 50 percent. With so many challengers, the eventual winner could need only a fraction of the vote to become governor.
CBS News Correspondent Jerry Bowen reports Orange County, among others, will use paper ballots because its new electronic system isn't ready and it may delay announcing results.
But because some counties will use the old punch-card system, the ACLU is asking a federal judge to delay the election, arguing the machines are unreliable and disenfranchise minority voters.
Also Monday, Bill Simon, one of the Republicans challenging Davis, cited his vision for the future and promised to be "the candidate of ideas.''
Simon, the businessman who lost to Davis in last year's election, told NBC's
"Today" show he was more conservative on social issues than Schwarzenegger, a fellow Republican.
None of the GOP candidates, however, will be getting any help from the White House – at least not publicly. Spokeswoman Claire Buchan said President Bush has no plans to appear with any Republican hopeful during a two-day swing through the state later this week. She did not rule out a behind-the-scenes meeting.
On the Democratic side, Bustamante stressed Monday he was against the recall but said as lieutenant governor, he was an obvious choice to become governor if Davis is removed. "I think I'm in the perfect position ... to take over if there's any kind of problem," he said.