Saturday, August 09, 2003
AP is now reporting as of a half hour ago that Garamendi has dropped out of the race...
Insurance Commissioner Quits Recall Race
August 9, 2003 06:32 PM EDT
SACRAMENTO - Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi dropped his bid for governor Saturday, hours before the deadline to file his candidacy papers in the October recall election.
Garamendi's advisers said the former state senator was under pressure to stay out of the race from Democrats who feared splitting support among Democratic candidates, should Gov. Gray Davis be recalled.
"I know firsthand that this recall election has become a circus," Garamendi said. "I have concluded I will not engage in this election as a candidate."
Garamendi was one of two Democrats who jumped into the race Thursday despite earlier pledges not to run. Garamendi said he was pressured by three Democrats to step aside in the first 24 hours of his campaign.
With a 5 p.m. deadline for filing election papers, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante was the only prominent Democrat on the ballot.
Garamendi postponed filing his papers at the Sacramento County Registrar's office at noon, citing logistical problems. His spokesman Gary Gartner said he was still being urged to drop out, but that he would file papers later.
At 3 p.m., he announced he was exiting the race.
The announcement came after Republican moderates Arnold Schwarzenegger and former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth filed papers to run for governor Saturday, adding marquee names to a growing list of candidates.
"I'm running for governor and I promise you that I will be the people's governor," Schwarzenegger said outside the Los Angeles County recorder's office. "I will be there for everybody, young and old, men and women alike, it doesn't make any difference."
Efforts to recall Davis were sparked by California's flagging economy, as well as state government's record $38 billion deficit and the decades-long debt to be paid for the 2000-2001 energy crisis.
The actor arrived with his wife, Maria Shriver, to the shrieks of onlookers. He grinned and signed autographs as he made his way inside to file papers.
Schwarzenegger, a Republican, greeted independent candidate Arianna Huffington, who arrived at the same time to file. She and Shriver hugged.
Before filing, Huffington called for more fuel-efficient vehicles and noted that Schwarzenegger had arrived in an SUV while she arrived in a hybrid vehicle. There were a few boos and cries of "Arnold, Arnold."
Ueberroth, who also was chief organizer of the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and said he could bridge the gap between Democrats and Republicans, filed his candidacy papers in Orange County. The Republican businessman said he would only to serve the three years remaining on Davis' term, which is up in January 2007.
Businessman Bill Simon, who lost the November election to Davis, also filed Saturday, joining state Sen. Tom McClintock as the two prominent conservative Republicans in the race. Among the uncertainties Saturday was how many prominent Democrats would file for the ballot. The governor had sought to keep others of his own party out of the race so he could concentrate on defeating the recall.
Bustamante filed papers Friday. It was unclear whether Democrats would line up behind his strategy of voting "no" on the recall portion of the ballot, but "yes" for Bustamante in case Davis is voted out.
In the two-part ballot, voters will first vote on whether Davis should be removed from office, then pick someone to succeed him if he is ousted.
Election officials said Friday that at least 443 Californians had taken out candidacy papers to run for the state's top job, though far fewer had officially filed.
Candidates had to pay the $3,500 filing fee and submit signatures of at least 65 registered voters to qualify. A candidate could avoid paying the fee by submitting 10,000 voter signatures.
Recall opponents also are fighting the election in court, but so far have only a string of losses to show for it. On Friday, a judge refused to grant a preliminary injunction halting the election over allegations that petition signatures had been gathered improperly.
posted by Zentronix @ 3:58 PM
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