Calif. Validates Half of Needed Recall Signatures
Tue July 22, 2003 08:51 PM ET
By Adam Tanner
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California officials validated by Tuesday nearly half the signatures needed to force the first recall vote against a governor in the state's history and were expected to certify the ballot within a day or two.
As a recall vote against Democratic Gov. Gray Davis appeared all but certain, speculation intensified as to whether and when Austrian-born actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, would declare his candidacy.
"I'm trying to encourage him to run," California Republican Congresswoman Mary Bono, who in 1998 filled the seat held by her late husband entertainer Sonny Bono, told Reuters.
"In my mind we need to fix this and do what is best for the state of California and that is getting behind a candidate who can win first of all and who can turn the state around," she said. "The only person I see on the horizon with that ability is Arnold Schwarzenegger."
By Tuesday afternoon, the secretary of state's office had verified 398,558 signatures submitted to recall Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, who is under fire for his handling of the state's record budget deficit.
The office said it had received a total of 990,393 signatures, more than the 897,158 needed to put the issue onto the ballot as soon as September. Election officials said as early as Wednesday they could certify the first such vote against a governor after 31 failed 20th century attempts.
Leading Democrats have said they will not challenge Davis, a long-time veteran of state politics who is known for a relatively bland manner.
The line up of candidates is expected to take shape very quickly after the official certification of a recall vote which is in effect a popular vote of confidence in the governor. Republican U.S. Congressman Darrell Issa, who has personally bankrolled much of the recall effort, has already declared himself a candidate.
Other Republicans -- including former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan -- appear to be waiting first for word from Schwarzenegger, who is widely expected to run. Analysts say that despite no experience in office, the actor has the name recognition and wealth to mount a quick campaign.
One veteran of both Hollywood and politics, former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson, also a Republican, said Schwarzenegger should expect a tough campaign amid high expectations.
"That's a big, big build up that he is getting right now, that he has from his own career, that they're going to be chipping away at from day one," Thompson, who recently joined the cast of the television drama Law & Order, told Reuters.
"Gray Davis will have unlimited amounts of money to spend on tearing Arnold down."
State election officials say they want to certify 10 percent more signatures than the 897,156 set down in law to assure there are no errors in the sampling technique used to validate the signatures. Counties across the state are expected to complete reporting the numbers from the Republican-backed petitions by the end of Wednesday.
