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Schwarzenegger turns down new offer to debate DavisCalifornia governor had accepted Larry King invitation
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- The tit-for-tat between Gov. Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger over whether they should debate before California's recall election continued Saturday -- this time with CNN's Larry King in the middle. Both candidates for governor were invited to debate on "Larry King Live." Davis, a Democrat who formally challenged the Republican actor-turned-politician to a debate Friday, accepted. The Schwarzenegger campaign said no. In a letter accepting the offer, Davis campaign manager Larry Grisolano said the governor "welcomes a fair and honest forum, such as yours, to have a truthful discussion on the issues." The Schwarzenegger campaign has characterized the debate challenge as a sign of desperation on Davis' part. Davis and Schwarzenegger are not running against each other October 7. Voters will first be asked whether Davis should be recalled. They will then pick a replacement from a list of 135 candidates, including Schwarzenegger, who would take over if Davis were removed from office. The debate challenge marked a shift in strategy for the Davis campaign, which until Friday had largely focused on rallying Democrats to oppose the recall, rather than engaging with candidates in the replacement race. Davis said he made the challenge because Schwarzenegger has been distorting his record as governor and exaggerating the state's financial woes. The recall was triggered by voter anger over the state's economic and energy situation. A recent budget agreement between Democratic and Republican legislators in Sacramento eliminated the state's $38 billion deficit through cuts and borrowing, but it created an expected shortfall of at least $8 billion for the next fiscal year. The Davis and Schwarzenegger campaigns are looking to draw attention from challengers within their own parties -- Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, who is locked in a virtual tie with Schwarzenegger in recent polls, and Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock, running several percentage points behind, according to The Associated Press. Many Democrats, against Davis' wishes, had encouraged Bustamante to run as a safety candidate in case the governor loses the recall vote. But some fear that Bustamante's candidacy could lead more people to vote for the recall and hand the governor's office to the Republicans, the AP reported. If a majority of California voters decide to oust Davis, whichever replacement candidate gets the most votes becomes governor. Bustamante parried questions Saturday about whether he was damaging the Democrats' chances of surviving the recall, according to the AP. "Every speech I've ever done, every interview I've ever had, my commercials, all say 'no on the recall,' and we're going to keep doing that," Bustamante said, adding that he still hopes Davis will campaign with him and even endorse him. McClintock has repeatedly rebuffed Republican entreaties to drop out rather than split the Republican vote. Analysts say the two-man-show strategy could anger voters on both sides. "When it comes to the voter and it comes to the average California spectator, it signifies arrogance," K.B. Forbes, a Republican strategist, told the AP. "It will provoke people to run away from Schwarzenegger, and Davis had the same problem in the last election because of his arrogance in ignoring the grassroots." Gale Kaufman, a Democratic consultant, agreed. "This is not a two-man race," she told the AP. "Bustamante is still very much a force on the Democratic side, as is McClintock on the Republican side. What Schwarzenegger and Davis are doing is extremely risky." Saturday, Bustamante made the unusual move of praising one of the Republican contenders. Bustamante talked up McClintock, who has been taking votes from Schwarzenegger and could spoil the actor's chances if Davis were recalled -- thus allowing Bustamante a chance to win. "The one who's really been moving in this race has been Tom McClintock," Bustamante said at a campaign stop in Los Angeles. "Tom has done a good job to get up there. ... Tom has a really strong message, and there's a group of people out there who strongly believe in his values." CNN correspondents Miguel Marquez and Kelly Wallace contributed to this report Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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