Even with a blitz of media coverage, Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger trails his main Democratic opponent in the California recall vote to replace Gov. Gray Davis, according to a poll released yesterday.
The Field Poll results, which showed Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante holding a three point lead over the "Terminator" star, followed a warning on Friday from a federal judge in San Jose that could put the Oct. 7 special election on hold if four counties aren't in compliance with a civil rights-era voting rule.
Bustamante, who broke ranks with fellow Democrat Davis to put his name on the ballot, attracted 25 percent support of the 629 registered voters surveyed, compared to 22 percent for the Austrian-born former bodybuilder. Results within the 5-point margin of error.
The results indicate that two conservative Republican candidates, state Sen. Bill McClintock and businessman Bill Simon, could siphon off enough Republican support to cost Schwarzenegger the California governorship.
The Field Poll showed McClintock with nine percent support and Simon -- whom Davis beat in the regularly scheduled November 2002 election -- with eight percent of total likely voters.
The potential watering down of support for individual Republican candidates will likely rise next week, when Peter Ueberroth, the former commissioner of Major League Baseball and head of the Los Angeles Olympics, kicks off his campaign in earnest.