Bill Simon kept close to Bruce McPherson, physically and thematically, as he spoke Saturday to a crowd of Republican faithful at the Monterey Peninsula airport.
Simon, the Republican challenging incumbent Gray Davis for governor, touched down in Monterey aboard the chartered 727 carrying him and his fellow statewide GOP candidates on a final ambitious jaunt as election day nears. One day after the release of a Field Poll showing the Democratic contenders ahead in every single statewide race, the GOP candidates started the day in Santa Barbara and continued on to Monterey, San Jose, Modesto, and Fresno.
At the Monterey stop, the spotlight fell on McPherson, the GOP candidate for lieutenant governor who has represented the Central Coast as a state legislator for nine years.
"It's nice to be home," McPherson said, addressing a crowd of about 100 where his signs and stickers outnumbered Simon's. The Santa Cruz Republican, who has been elected and re-elected in an overwhelminingly Democratic area by mixing fiscal conservatism with liberal stances on social issues and the environment, served as a master of ceremonies at the rally.
"Bill Simon has been belittled by this incumbent with how many millions in ad money?" McPherson asked in his introduction of the gubernatorial hopeful. "I tell you, the guy just won't go away. There will be a big surprise this Tuesday night."
A key part of Davis' campaign has been painting Simon as too conservative for California voters on the very issues where McPherson has strong cross-over appeal: abortion, gun control, and the environment. Simon's speech Saturday seemed tuned to the unique political tides of the Central Coast.
"I pledge to you we're gonna put an end to off-shore oil drilling here in California," Simon said, pumping his fist for the receptive crowd. He criticized Davis for not doing enough to end offshore drilling, and for taking campaign contributions from oil and gas companies. Simon himself has been a stock holder, board member, or corporate officer with several companies involved in offshore drilling.
Simon took a number of shots at Davis' fund-raising, saying the Governor had put his own re-election ahead of the state's interests.
"I think he is our state's first coin-operated governor," Simon said.
The Field Poll released Friday showed Davis ahead of Simon by seven points, and incumbent Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante ahead of McPherson 47 percent to 35 percent. The poll also showed the Democratic candidates ahead in the races for attorney general, treasurer, secretary of state, insurance commissioner, and superintendent of public instruction, with only the race for controller a statistical dead heat.
McPherson, who supported former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan in the Republican gubernatorial primary, has rarely been out on the campaign trail with Simon. California has a tradition of electing governors and lieutenant governors of different parties, and McPherson has said during this campaign that this provides a good check-and-balance system.
"It wasn't saying I anticipate Simon losing," McPherson said Saturday after the rally. "I want Bill Simon to win."
McPherson acknowledged that he and Simon do not agree on some issues, but said they could discuss the differences and still work together.
"There is a clear line of open communication between Bill Simon and Bruce McPherson," he said.
Monterey couple Jeff and Christine McGee said they showed up at the rally to support Simon and McPherson.
"We need to have someone in California government that's going to steer us in the moral direction and set the right example," Christine McGee said.
Jeff McGee said that despite the poll numbers, the GOP candidates still had a chance if they could tap into the large number of undecided voters.
"One-fourth of the electorate has said they don't have a preference with the election four days away," he said.
Gilbert Leal of Salinas, who serves on the county Republican central committee, said that McPherson could help Simon in the liberal Central Coast.
"We have to change the stereotype of what they believe the Republicans are," Leal said. "They think they're a big, rich machine, and not working folks like ourselves."
In addition to the statewide GOP candidates, the crowd heard from local Republican politicians including Seaside mayor Jerry Smith, Pacific Grove council member and mayoral candidate Morrie Fisher, and Marina council member Michael Morrison.
Gray Davis will be in Monterey today for a get-out-the-vote rally at the Monterey Bay Aquarium at 4:45 p.m.