California congressional Dems may endorse Bustamante
From John Mercurio
CNN Political Unit
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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
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LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- In what could be a blow to Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi plans to huddle with California's Democratic congressional delegation Thursday to decide whether to endorse Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante in the recall campaign, congressional sources told CNN.
While they cautioned that House Democrats have reached no final decision, several aides said the delegation is likely to endorse Bustamante, the only major Democrat on the October 7 ballot, while they continue to oppose the recall.
A similar position, widely known as "No on Question 1, Yes on Bustamante," has been embraced by three state unions, as well as Bustamante himself.
Some aides said predictions of an outright endorsement could be premature. "You never know what will come out of these calls," said one aide.
But others noted there was little, if any, opposition to such a move within the delegation. And one source said that during the delegation's last conference call, held Monday, the "sentiment was definitely there" to endorse the "No on Question 1, Yes on Bustamante" position.
Such a move would represent the most significant political setback for Davis since the recall campaign began. The governor has been fighting hard to convince party leaders and constituencies to oppose the recall and remain neutral on who should succeed him.
The most prominent advocates of that position are Sen. Dianne Feinstein, state Democratic Chairman Art Torres and state AFL-CIO chief Art Pulaski.
Earlier this week, however, three unions bucked Pulaski and endorsed Bustamante. The California Teachers Association has interviewed recall candidates and its executive board will meet Thursday to decide whether to issue an endorsement in the race.
Pelosi, who represents a California district that includes San Francisco, has scheduled a press conference for 2 p.m. PT (5 p.m. EDT) in San Francisco to discuss the Bush administration's education policies. Sources said Pelosi will announce an endorsement if the delegation has been able to meet and reach an agreement.
CNN Congressional Producer Ted Barrett contributed to this report
