REPUBLICAN IN STATEHOUSE FREES DEMOCRATS UP FOR '06.Byline: Lisa Friedman Washington Bureau WASHINGTON - With the recall election barely behind them, some California Democrats already are surveying the field for candidates strong enough to challenge Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (German pronunciation (IPA): [ˈaɐ̯nɔlt ˈaloɪ̯s ˈʃvaɐ̯ʦənˌʔɛɡɐ] in 2006. ``Now that the governor is a Republican, it frees up every Democratic statewide officeholder of·fice·hold·er n. One who holds public office. Noun 1. officeholder - someone who is appointed or elected to an office and who holds a position of trust; "he is an officer of the court"; "the club elected its officers for to look at the 2006 race,'' said California GOP strategist Dan Schnur. Attorney General Bill Lockyer William Westwood "Bill" Lockyer (born May 8, 1941) is the current State Treasurer of California. Prior to this, he served as California's Attorney General and head of the Department of Justice for the U.S. state of California. and state Treasurer Noun 1. state treasurer - the treasurer for a state government financial officer, treasurer - an officer charged with receiving and disbursing funds Phil Angelides Philip Nicholas "Phil" Angelides (IPA: æn.dʒε.'lid.ɪs) (born June 11, 1953 in Sacramento, California), is a California politician who was California State Treasurer and the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Governor of California in the 2006 elections. are the two leading contenders. Both of them, analysts said, easily surpass Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, who lost overwhelmingly Tuesday to Schwarzenegger. ``I don't see how he recovers from this,'' said University of Southern California The U.S. News & World Report ranked USC 27th among all universities in the United States in its 2008 ranking of "America's Best Colleges", also designating it as one of the "most selective universities" for admitting 8,634 of the almost 34,000 who applied for freshman admission political scientist Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, speaking of Bustamante. ``There are others who haven't already lost decisively to the incumbent governor.'' At least two Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, congressional Democrats already have placed themselves in Lockyer's camp. Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, and Joe Baca, D-San Bernardino, said they want to see the attorney general take on Schwarzenegger. ``I think he could make a phenomenal candidate,'' Schiff said. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who refused pleas from Democratic colleagues to become the recall's alternative to Schwarzenegger, also has been named as a possibility. ``She'd instantly be the Democratic front-runner,'' Schnur said. But, he and others noted, the 70-year-old Feinstein has long professed being content in her current position as California's senior senator, and few believe she has the stomach for a messy statewide primary. Other names that have surfaced include Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi - who dropped out of the recall race this year, and who twice ran unsuccessfully for governor in the past - and state Controller Steve Westley. Whether any of the likely candidates can pull together a campaign to rival the star power of Schwarzenegger, however, remains to be seen. ``They should be looking at who takes over for Schwarzenegger in 2010 after he's served a second term,'' Schnur said. Democrats insist they are optimistic about taking back the governor's mansion. ``I think that there will be a number of qualified and attractive candidates,'' said Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Lakewood. ``Arnold is going to have to produce, and if he doesn't it's going to be very easy to defeat him.'' Added Jeffe: ``This is still a Democratic state, and we don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how Schwarzenegger is going to work out as governor.'' Lisa Friedman, (202) 662-8731 lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com |
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