California recall election Oct. 7

It's official -- the recall election in California will be October 7.

And, it seems that the ballot will have two parts -- whether Davis should retain his job, and if not, who will replace him.

Bustamante said the recall election will have two parts, with voters first deciding whether or not to oust Davis and then choosing from a list of candidates to replace him. People voting "no" to the recall would still have the opportunity to cast a vote in the second part.

Bustamante had thrown that scenario into question this week when he refused to say whether he would call a replacement election on the same ballot. If the recall were approved without a replacement, Bustamante could have become governor, at least temporarily, under the state's Constitution.

Democrats continue to fall behind Davis, but that might very well change in the coming weeks. August 9 is the filing deadline to run.

If the Dems put up a candidate, then they will easily retain the governorship (with several prominant GOoPers splitting the state's dwindling conservative vote). But so far, it seems to be all or nothing for the Dems. Either Davis beats back the recall effort (50% +1), or we have a new GOP governor.

Posted July 24, 2003 12:07 PM