| ||
| ||
| ||
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
California Supreme Court refuses to stop recallElection set for October 7
SAN FRANCISCO, California (CNN) -- The California Supreme Court on Friday denied a request to halt preparations for a recall election aimed at the state's Democratic governor, Gray Davis. State residents are to vote October 7 on whether Davis should be removed from office and, if he is, who his replacement should be. Recall opponents claim there was widespread fraud in the gathering of the signatures needed to get the recall measure on the ballot. They were seeking a halt in the election process until their case can be heard next month. The high court, however, declined to alter an Appellate Court ruling that stated no harm would be done if election planning proceeds. Candidates who wish to replace Davis as governor have until August 9 to file election papers with election officials. Davis, a Democrat, will be the first California governor ever to face such an election and the first U.S. governor to face one in more than 80 years. Elected to a second term last November with 47 percent of the vote, Davis faces tremendous criticism over his handling of California's fiscal crisis. The state has a $38 billion deficit and many accuse Davis of hiding the truth about the state's problems during his re-election campaign. Republicans looking to replace Davis have yet to officially announce their candidacy, but a chief suitor for the position -- U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa of California -- has long made himself known. The conservative congressman financed much of the recall campaign. Much speculation has surrounded movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he has avoided making an official announcement either way. Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan also has been floated as a possible candidate, and Republican sources said businessman Bill Simon, who lost to Davis in the November election, is likely to run. Prominent California Democrats have said they would not run against Davis -- which could be key to his political survival. He may be able to mobilize enough Democratic support to keep him in office, while multiple Republican candidates could split a vote. Republican leaders in California are working to unify voters behind one candidate. There will be no runoff in the recall election, so whoever gets the most votes wins. Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, a Democrat, railed against the effort to oust fellow Democrat Davis and the estimated cost of holding a special election. "Just because you're mad at somebody doesn't mean you spend $35 million to oust somebody," he said.
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
