US: It started here in Sacramento several months ago when 62-year- old Ted Costa, a self-described "wacko" dedicated to ousting incompetent officials, drafted a petition in his office behind a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop to recall Governor Gray Davis. Conor O'Clery reports from Sacramento.
It ended yesterday with the tallying of votes at the state capitol in a historic recall ballot that will leave this near-bankrupt state of 34 million people more ideologically polarised than ever.
That was the only certainty facing California today after voters had crowded into polling booths in record numbers to decide whether they should oust Governor Davis and who among 135 candidates should replace him.
President Bush's comments yesterday that he would work with Republican candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger should he be elected governor are unlikely to bridge the divide.
"If he's the governor I'll work with him - absolutely," Mr Bush said. "He's obviously waged a spirited campaign. He has captured a lot of people's imaginations."
After a chaotic 77-day campaign dominated by allegations of sexual misbehaviour and sleaze politics, the winner faces a state economy in deep crisis.
The ideological divide in the world's sixth-largest economy separates Republicans - who want to encourage businesses by cutting tax and limiting employer obligations - from Democrats who are wedded to union rights and workers' compensation.
Mr Schwarzenegger promised to rescind a new car tax, but did not say how the state would make up the loss of $4 billion in revenue to pay police and firefighters. Governor Davis certified the tax increase under California law after deficits soared and counties were crying out for help to maintain basic services.
In the final days of campaigning, the media became the battleground for the ideological forces tearing California apart. On Thursday, the Los Angeles Times began publishing allegations against front-runner Mr Schwarzenegger of sexual abuse involving 15 women (a 16th emerged yesterday).
A network of conservative talk radio stations then made the LA Times the issue, backing Mr Schwarzenegger's complaint that it was part of a Davis "puke campaign". A reader backlash resulted in 1,000 cancelled subscriptions and hundreds of angry phone calls, prompting LA Times editor Mr John Carroll to point out that the paper had also aggressively laid out the case against Davis and other candidates.
"We were working for seven weeks, seeking women, trying to persuade the women we found to talk with us," he said, explaining the timing which enraged conservatives.
It turned ugly at a Schwarzenegger rally in Modesto when radio host Rob Johnson, in a warm-up speech, cried: "Who's the guy with the LA Times? Find him and beat him up, would you?"
Polls closed last night at 8 p.m. (4 a.m. Irish time this morning). Counting was complicated by ballot papers ranging from two to 13 pages depending on the country.
The leading candidates - Mr Schwarzenegger, Democrat Mr Cruz Bustamante and conservative Mr Tom McClintock - were listed with non-serious candidates such as a pornographer, a sumo wrestler and a stripper.
Opinion polls consistently showed a majority of voters in favour of the recall and for Mr Schwarzenegger to succeed Mr Davis.
On the final day of campaigning, the actor tried to counter the damage from the sex allegations by having his wife, Maria Shriver, his mother-in-law, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and dozens of women on his platform.
Mr Davis appealed to his core support, marching in San Francisco with 1,000 firefighters wearing "No Recall" T-shirts. Mr McClintock made a final plea for supporters to "come home" to the only true conservative.
The latest woman to make charges against the actor is Ms Rhonda Miller of Los Angeles who worked as a stunt double on two recent Schwarzenegger movies.
She said the Terminator star lifted her shirt to photograph her breasts and groped her twice. Mr Schwarzenegger denied Ms Miller's claims while admitting making crude comments.
Also on the ballot yesterday was proposition 54, which would bar California from collecting or using most kinds of racial or ethnic data. This measure would complicate aid for ethnic groups with different reactions to diseases, warned health professionals.