Polls spook Calif. GOP

Today's LA Times poll, in the heels of the Field Poll last week, have got California's GOP running scared.

There is obviously pressure coming down on all GOoPers not named "Arnold". They got to Simon. But McClintock is running strong (12 percent in the LAT poll), and should pick up the bulk of Simon's supporters (6 percent in the poll). There's no way he's getting out, when he could very well be the top GOP candidate in a matter of weeks.

Uberroth, running at seven percent, is the most direct threat to Arnold's chances, splitting the "moderate" vote. The former baseball commissioner, however, also claims he's staying put.

But ultimately, can anything spook the GOP (Rove especially) more than a Bustamante governorship? At a time when Bush is desperately trying to gain Latino support, a Bustamante governorship of the nation's largest state would end those efforts prematurely.

If Bustamante's lead holds, and Arnold continues to tread water, the GOP might be better served by urging "NO" on recall.

Posted August 25, 2003 12:30 AM | Comments (77)