That opens the door for a Big Name Democrat to move into California and run.
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Posted on 06/21/2003 9:24:09 PM PDT by LdSentinal
SAN FRANCISCO - Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., eliminated herself Saturday as a possible replacement for Gov. Gray Davis, who is facing a recall drive rapidly gaining momentum.
"I am not a candidate," said Feinstein, who appeared with Davis at ceremonies to open a rail extension to San Francisco International Airport.
Feinstein, the Democratic nominee for governor in 1990, had been considered the strongest potential Democratic candidate. But party officials have long been urging prominent Democrats to stay off the ballot, insisting the governor should be allowed to stave off the recall without facing challengers from his own party.
Other high-level California Democrats, including Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and Attorney General Bill Lockyer, had already said they had no intention of running.
Recall supporters claim to have gathered about 800,000 signatures in favor forcing an election to recall Davis, who won a second term in November.
Recall proponents have until Sept. 2 to collect nearly 900,000 signatures. They want to submit the needed signatures next month, which would force a special election this fall.
Potential Republican candidates include Rep. Darrell Issa , who is largely bankrolling the recall effort; Bill Simon, who lost to Davis in last year's election, and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Feinstein said Davis, whose approval numbers have plummeted as the state struggles with a huge budget deficit, was re-elected as governor "just six months ago," and should not have to mount a new campaign to keep his job.
"The recall is really there for gross moral turpitude, corruption, or some extraneous terrible circumstance in which you have to remove somebody from office," Feinstein said. "Now the state's having a rough time. So is every other state in the union right now."
Feinstein, a former mayor of San Francisco, was first elected to the Senate in 1992. Her current term expires in 2006.
That opens the door for a Big Name Democrat to move into California and run.
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Gee, none of the local California Democrats are jumping in to the recall race.Guess that leaves the field open for Bill Clinton or Al Gore.
Does California have a Chappaqua like New York??
LOL .. Chandra was one of your voters from ConditLand , DiFiChi ..
The voters beat his arse to death next election, too, even when you and his cronies in DC stood by him..
Oh, Please support Gray!!
We'll see you at the next election.
Say Hi to Babs.
Feinstein swears off recall race
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., has said she does not intend to be a candidate for governor, the same pledge taken by other prominent Democrats in the face of a recall aimed at Gov. Gray Davis, a Feinstein spokesman said Saturday.
Feinstein has often been mentioned as a possible replacement candidate for Davis, who is facing a recall drive that is rapidly gaining momentum.
But Howard Gantman, a spokesman for Feinstein, quoted her as saying before flying to California for a weekend appearance, "I intend to remain a United States senator. I do not intend to run for governor."
Feinstein appeared with Davis Saturday at ceremonies to open a BART extension to San Francisco International Airport, and denounced the recall effort.
Recall supporters claim to have gathered about 800,000 signatures in favor of the idea. If they gather about 1.2 million valid signatures by Sept. 2, voters will simultaneously be asked if they want to remove Davis from office, and to pick someone to replace him as governor if he is voted out.
Feinstein's declaration comes as Democrats are closing ranks around the governor's effort to fight off the recall. Last week the most prominent potential Democratic replacement candidates - Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, Attorney General Bill Lockyer, Treasurer Phil Angelides and Controller Steve Westly - essentially removed themselves from the race.
Democratic Party officials have long been urging potential candidates to stay off the ballot, insisting that the governor should be allowed to stave off the recall without facing challengers from his own party.
Feinstein, a former mayor of San Francisco, was first elected to the Senate in 1992. Her current term expires in 2006.
Neither are Issa, McClintock, etc. Nobody is a candidate yet, since the Recall election has not been announced yet and nobody has filed for candidacy yet.
Democrats Feinstein, Bustamante, Westly, Angelides, and Lockyer announced equivocal or vague statements about not running, along the lines of "I do not intend to run." None of them promised not to run in the recall election.
Not according to California Elections Code, section 11302. If Davis resigns after the filing date of the recall, Bustamante only becomes acting governor until the recall election determines Davis' successor, at which time Bustamante goes back to being Lt.Gov.
If a vacancy occurs in an office after a recall petition is filed against the vacating officer, the recall election shall nevertheless proceed. The vacancy shall be filled as provided by law, but any person appointed to fill the vacancy shall hold office only until a successor is selected in accordance with Article 4 (commencing with Section 11360) or Article 5 (commencing with Section 11380), and the successor qualifies for that office.
Don't worry. The petition has two parts to it: the recall petition, and the special election. Barbara Simpson had Howard Kaloosian (sp?) and Darrell Issa on KSFO today, and the word is that even if Gov. Grayout resigns, the special election would proceed if the recall succeeded. Davis resigning does not trump the recall. Whew!
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