No, it's too bad Simon won, and has proceeded to try and blur the differences between him and Riordan.
Thus far, the floundering campaign Simon has run is the same shakey-kneed, ashamed of Repubicanism, fret-fest that Riordan would have run, with less money.
That said, I'm not as down in the dumps as you are... comebacks do happen in California, as Pete Wilson showed in 1994. It's early August, and most voters aren't focusing on the campaign yet, and won't for another few weeks. Davis' negatives aren't going to change, there are 45% of the people here who will never vote for him. He needs 10 out 11 of the rest to win.
Was Simon the ideal candidate? No, but neither was Riordan. The RNC advisors need to do better than to keep foisting wimpy, cowardly campaigns on California, like those of Dan Lundgren, Matt Fong, and Tom Campbell.
It's the Republican leadership that needs to learn a lesson.