October 2003

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In Mississippi, Kentucky, A Boost From Bush 10/28/2003 9:22 AM In his most intensive day of campaigning since the midterm elections, President Bush plans to speak at four get-out-the-vote rallies on Saturday for the Republican gubernatorial candidates in Mississippi and Kentucky, both of whom have Democratic incumbents. Those are the only two states with gubernatorial elections next Tuesday, and polls taken last week for the Associated Press and other news organizations showed the Republican ahead in each race. Bush won each state by more than 15 points in 2000. In Mississippi, former national GOP chairman Haley Barbour had a five-point lead over the incumbent, Ronnie Musgrove. In Kentucky, Rep. Ernie Fletcher had a nine-point lead over state Attorney General Ben Chandler (D) in the race to replace Gov. Paul Patton, who has been tarnished by scandal and did not seek reelection. The margin of error in each poll was plus or minus four percentage points. Read the article GOP Bullish on November Elections 10/27/2003 6:00 PM The chairman of the Republican Party says the apparent strength of GOP candidates in gubernatorial races in Kentucky, Mississippi and Louisiana is a good sign for the incumbent in the White House. Ed Gillespie wouldn't go as far as to suggest a national wave of support for Republican candidates because of President Bush's standing, but he said he was very optimistic about GOP chances in Kentucky and Mississippi Nov. 4 and a runoff election in Louisiana Nov. 15. Read the article Mississippi Governor's Race Draws GOP Bigwigs 10/27/2003 5:25 PM In a contest cast as a test of President Bush's popularity leading into 2004, GOP luminaries are trooping through Mississippi to promote former party chairman Haley Barbour in his bid to unseat Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove. Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole appeared in Biloxi and Jackson on Friday to brag on Barbour, a well-connected Washington lobbyist, Republican National Committee chairman from 1993 to 1997 and member of the George W. Bush's exploratory committee before the 2000 presidential election. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani will speak at a Gulf Coast fish fry with Barbour on Wednesday. Former Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma has been to the state, as have Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, former White House press secretary Ari Fleisher and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Read the article Florida 2004: The State of 'Brotherly Love' 10/23/2003 12:31 PM A state of "brotherly love" has been declared in Florida, where Gov. Jeb Bush is heading up the 2004 presidential re-election campaign of his older sibling, George W. Bush. The governor's role could help cement the state for the president, who squeaked by in Florida in 2000 to win the Electoral College and the election. "In terms of [President Bush's] brother, you would have to say, on net, it is a positive because his brother [Jeb] still has a pretty good favorable rating in the state, he's a fairly popular fella himself," said Larry Harris, a principal with Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. Read the article Schwarzenegger Gets Started 10/23/2003 12:29 PM A year ago, California Gov. Gray Davis probably would never have imagined what he sees on his calendar for Thursday, Oct. 23: a meeting with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor-elect, who is developing his action plan for the state. The bodybuilder and actor-turned-politician arrived in Sacramento Wednesday for the official beginning of his transition as the state's new leader. First stop was the state Capitol, where he met with state lawmakers from both parties and informed them that he plans to call a special session of the legislature the day after he is sworn into office. Read the article GOP Lowers '04 Senate Expectations 10/23/2003 12:28 PM When Republicans took a look at the 2004 Senate races, they were drooling at the prospects of significantly boosting their 51-49 advantage. However, several rejections from possible high-profile GOP candidates have forced the party to temper its high hopes. "This has to be considered nothing but a disastrous recruiting period for Senate Republicans," Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse said about the GOP's failure to capitalize on several potentially vulnerable Democratic incumbents up for re-election. Democrats are starting out with a significant disadvantage in 2004, having to defend 19 of the 34 seats up next year. And of those 19, there are several that Republicans were hoping to snatch from the Dems by putting up well-known, battle-tested candidates. Read the article Republican Hopes to Say Adios to Senator Boxer 10/10/2003 11:39 AM The aftershocks of the recall quake in California will knock Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) off her seat, according to the Republican who wants to replace her. "Schwarzenegger said, 'Hasta la vista, Davis.' We're saying, 'Adios, Boxer,' " said Rosario Marin, a former U.S. treasurer. Marin, 44, plans to announce her 2004 Senate bid imminently. In a brief interview yesterday, she hugged a reporter, cried twice and framed the recall of California Gov. Gray Davis (D) as a repudiation of the status quo. "And Boxer represents the status quo," she said. While in Washington, Marin met with key Republicans to garner support. She also sold her house in McLean to pay for a new one in California. "Of course I'll be back, as a senator," she said. Read the article California Transition Team Is Appointed 10/10/2003 11:37 AM Moving swiftly to take power, California's Republican Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger formed a politically diverse transition team Thursday, appointed a finance specialist to lead an immediate audit of the state's beleaguered budget and vowed to appoint Democrats to his Cabinet. In his second news conference since winning a resounding victory in Tuesday's recall election, Schwarzenegger again struck a bipartisan tone, saying that to fulfill his campaign promise to represent all Californians he cannot rely only on Republicans. Read the article Exit Polls in California Run Smoothly 10/9/2003 12:06 PM After being party to two consecutive national meltdowns, exit polls had a good night Tuesday in California: Interviewers showed up at each of the 60 selected precincts, waves of data appeared on subscribers' computer screens when promised, and in an accomplishment not to be taken for granted in recent years, they got the winner right. "It actually went very smoothly," said Joe Lenski, executive vice president of Edison Media Research, who along with partner Warren Mitofsky of Mitofsky International ran the poll used by most media organizations Tuesday night. "It looks like we pegged the 'yes' vote right on and undershot Arnold [Schwarzenegger] by a couple points." Read the article California Recall A Warning For Other Governors 10/9/2003 12:05 PM The recall of California Gov. Gray Davis (D) was a dramatic demonstration of voters' deep anger over a flagging economy and what they perceive as excessive taxes -- a combination many other governors face as they struggle with their own states' stagnant economies and budget shortfalls. As such, the California vote was a warning to all incumbents that they could face a restive, even angry electorate when they next seek reelection, political analysts said yesterday. But they also said California's economic and budget problems are so severe, and Davis's personal popularity so low, that other governors are unlikely to feel the same degree of fury that toppled Davis and replaced him with a political neophyte, Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger. Read the article California Recall - Arnold Vows to Open California's Books 10/9/2003 11:57 AM Arnold Schwarzenegger, who refers to himself as the "people's governor," spent his first full day as governor-elect thanking the voters of California for their "trust." Schwarzenegger, 56, appeared at a hotel news conference on Wednesday, a day after winning the state's recall election that put Democratic Gov. Gray Davis out of a job. Schwarzenegger expressed confidence that he would make a seamless transition to the governor's office, but he provided no new specifics on how he plans to cure California's ills. In his first news conference since being elected governor, Schwarzenegger said he had spoken with an array of leaders about his victory, including Nelson Mandela of South Africa and President Bush, who he said promised to do "whatever is possible to help California." Read the article Schwarzenegger Plans Transfer of Power 10/8/2003 1:49 PM Arnold Schwarzenegger scheduled an afternoon press conference Wednesday to discuss his transition to the governor's office a day after voters, seething over taxes and red ink, dumped the unpopular Gov. Gray Davis. Read the article Candidates Who Dropped Out Got Votes 10/8/2003 1:48 PM The recall candidates who bowed out before Tuesday's election received a small consolation prize: Thousands of people voted for them anyway. Republican Peter Ueberroth, the former baseball commissioner, pulled in 21,739 votes despite giving up his candidacy nearly a month ago. He outdistanced less serious but still active candidates such as porn magnate Larry Flynt and former child star Gary Coleman, who got 15,184 votes and 12,565, respectively. Republican businessman Bill Simon, who finished just behind Gov. Gray Davis in last year's election, dropped out of the recall election in August. This time partial returns showed him with 7,769 votes, behind porn star Mary Carey, with 9,889. Read the article Highlights of Tuesday's Recall Election 10/8/2003 1:46 PM California voters forced Gov. Gray Davis from office Tuesday, choosing action movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger from a list of 135 candidates to replace him. Schwarzenegger was by far the best-known and best-funded candidate, contributing at least $10 million of his own money to his campaign. More highlights: Read the article Bush Congratulates Victorious Schwarzenegger 10/8/2003 1:44 PM President Bush on Wednesday called California's new governor-elect, movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger, to congratulate him on his stunning victory in the state's recall election. "The president said he was proud of the race he ran, and he looked forward to working with him," White House spokesman Scott McClellan reported. Officials left open the possibility that Bush would meet with Schwarzenegger next week in California. The president is expected to make two fund-raising stops there next Wednesday for his re-election campaign before he heads to Tokyo, the first stop on an Asian trip. Read the article Voters back Schwarzenegger, Oust Davis 10/7/2003 11:44 PM As polls closed Tuesday evening and the official vote tally got under way, exit polling indicated that Californians had executed a historic recall of their governor and elected actor Arnold Schwarzenegger to replace him. The polls showed the Austrian-born Terminator star leading the race with 46%, followed by Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, with 35%. Though polls showed voters favoring the recall 56% to 44%, they told pollsters they were evenly split on whether the recall was a waste of money. Major television networks declared Schwarzenegger the winner. Gov. Gray Davis had no immediate comment, though he said on CNN's Larry King Live show that he would cooperate with any incoming administration. Read the article Poll: Support for Recall, Schwarzenegger Surge 10/1/2003 10:34 AM With less than a week to go before the recall election, a solid majority of likely California voters said they support removing Gov. Gray Davis from office, according to a new poll from the Los Angeles Times. The poll, conducted September 25-29, found that 56 percent of likely voters supported the recall, while 42 percent said they opposed ousting the Democratic incumbent. A Times poll from early September showed 50 percent supported the recall. Republican challenger Arnold Schwarzenegger made strong gains in the latest poll and was favored by 40 percent of likely voters, followed by Democrat Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante with 32 percent and Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock with 15 percent. Read the article McClintock Sticks to California Recall Race 10/1/2003 10:33 AM With little more than a week left in California's recall race, Arnold Schwarzenegger is trying to make his victory seem inevitable. But his more conservative Republican rival isn't going away. State Sen. Tom McClintock has stuck firmly - some say obstinately - to his pledge to race to the end, even at the risk of splitting the Republican vote and allowing Democrats to stay in power even if Gov. Gray Davis is recalled. "I have never been popular in the country club wing of the Republican party," McClintock said in an interview Sunday before another full day of campaigning. "I've always drawn my strength from grassroots voters, and I'm quite content with that." Read the article