If a self financed renegade should emerge and threaten the Austrian the Democrats would rise to the Austrian's aid with cross party registration/voting in the primary to protect their own.
Wasp is correct. Without a change of heart from the CAGOP, any challenger to the Austrian faces an almost impossible battle. The best a challenger could do is to further accentuate the ghastly mistake the CAGOP made in late 2003 and compounded again in February 2005.
Regardless of the outcome of the primary, the Democrat candidates are so weak that the Austrian will likely prevail in Nov 2006 unless a sizable portion of the Republican Party chooses not to cast a vote for governor. Republicans will vote next November but some may skip the top of the ballot to protest a liberal being foisted on them by the party leadership.
Seems to me we're selling those on our side fairly short here. It's obvious that Schwarzenegger is a nightmare as sound policy goes. I think the electorate on the right can see that. I don't think a sound candidate would be that hard a sell in the primary.