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Filing deadline looms for California recall raceBush says Schwarzenegger would be 'good governor'
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Think you've got what it takes to be governor of California? You have until 5 p.m. Saturday [8 p.m. EDT] to file the candidacy papers and join the wild and unprecedented recall race. The race --- dubbed a "carnival" by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein -- has drawn a host of characters, including actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, former sitcom star Gary Coleman and TV pundit and syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington. Hundreds of people have signaled an interest in placing their names on the ballot, but the tally won't be known until after the filing deadline Saturday. Filing for the race requires a $3,500 fee and 65 signatures. (Gallery: The recall and candidates) Barring a surprise -- and there have been plenty of surprises in the race so far -- California voters will decide October 7 whether to recall Democratic incumbent Gray Davis. Then, they will pick a replacement candidate to serve if Davis is recalled. That candidate -- who needs only to win the most votes, not a majority -- will serve as chief executive of the largest state in the union for the remaining 3 1/2 years of Davis' term. "I find that what's going on in the state of California very interesting, and I'm confident the citizens of California will sort all this out for the good of the citizenry," President Bush told reporters outside his ranch in Crawford, Texas.(Full story) Bush stopped short of a formal endorsement, but he had some kind words for fellow Republican Schwarzenegger -- who had campaigned for the first President Bush. "I think he'd be a good governor," Bush said. The recall effort -- pushed by Republicans -- sprang from widespread dissatisfaction with Davis' tenure amid a weak state economy and a $38 billion budget deficit. U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa -- the millionaire Republican who bankrolled the recall process -- dropped out of the race Thursday in a tearful news conference. "I know that comes as a surprise to many, but this was never about higher office. It was about higher obligation," Issa said, adding that he would continue to help pay for the recall effort. Schwarzenegger has dominated the political coverage since his announcement Wednesday. But much about the popular movie star remained a mystery, particularly his ideas for solving the state's budget woes. (Full story) "It is not the experience, it is leadership that counts," Schwarzenegger told CNN on Friday, saying that Davis' vast political experience has done nothing to help the state. Other major Republican names expected in the race include state Sen. Tom McClintock of Ventura County and businessman Bill Simon, who lost to Davis in the general election nine months ago. Davis suffered a setback late Thursday when the Republican-dominated California Supreme Court rejected consideration of the governor's legal challenges to the process. Davis had asked the state's top court to delay the vote until the March presidential primary, arguing that the October date did not give election officials enough time to prepare and could cause voting rights problems. Davis had also asked the high court to let him run as his own replacement and raised the issue of whether Bustamante, a fellow Democrat, should take over if the recall vote goes against the governor. Other challenges were also filed and denied by the court. On Friday, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge refused to issue a preliminary injunction to stop the recall until a separate challenge to the recall petition is heard. The group Taxpayers Against the Recall has alleged that some of the people who circulated the petition that set the recall in motion were not registered California voters, as required by law. Bustamante's decision to enter the race was also a blow for Davis, who had hoped for a show of Democratic unity to help defeat the recall election. Another Democrat, Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, said he would run as well. (Full story) The list of candidates is long and eclectic, including traditional politicians, mainstream celebrities and a host of gadflies, activists and attention seekers . Schwarzenegger's candidacy has already had an impact on the race. Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, a fellow moderate Republican who had been considering a bid, announced that he would not run and endorsed Schwarzenegger. "The recall election offers us a choice: We can either continue with politics as usual in California, or we can elect someone who works on behalf of every Californian, not just the special interests," Riordan said in a statement. "I believe Arnold Schwarzenegger is a very talented man who would make an excellent governor." Democrats appeared to be increasingly nervous about the race. Jerry Brown, the mayor of Oakland and a former California governor, said he believes Democrats can hold onto the governor's seat if Davis can convince Feinstein to change her mind and enter the race. "She can be the reserve option for California," Brown, a Democrat, told CNN.
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