Recall Vote Date Set in California
COOPER: Well, last year, California Governor Gray Davis was embroiled in one of the roughest campaigns of his political career. This year, on the other hand, he'll be embroiled in one of the roughest campaigns of his political career. A recall petition will do that to you. Tonight, the recall election is on. The date is set and Californians are getting ready for an October to remember and it will be. Here again, CNN's Candy Crowley.</s>CROWLEY (voice-over): Wearing his best what-me-worry face, the governor of California did governor business Thursday trying not to talk about that other business which is, of course, impossible.</s>GOV. GRAY DAVIS (D), CALIFORNIA: I'm going to get my job done the most important part of which is passing a budget and then if the people want me to present my credentials, and apparently they do one more time, I'm going to present my credentials.</s>CROWLEY: He remains California's iceman, coolly dismissive of the attempt to vote him out of the office he was reelected to just eight months ago and yet the oncoming train keeps coming on.</s>LT. GOV. CRUZ BUSTAMANTE, CALIFORNIA: The date that I've decided to choose for this election is Tuesday, October 7th.</s>CROWLEY: Yikes, 76 days, so little time, so much potential for disaster. The secretary of state has to mail informational pamphlets to 15 million registered voters. Fifty-eight counties have to find 25,000 voting locations. They also need to recruit 100,000 poll workers and, oh yes, some counties need new voting machines. Hear those alarm bells? So does the state's top election official.</s>KEVIN SHELLEY, CALIFORNIA SECRETARY OF STATE: No one obviously wants a Florida-type election in California and I certainly don't want that on my watch as secretary of state. It's a challenge.</s>CROWLEY: Beyond the logistical threat there are the political machinations. Step one for Democrats, the dire warning.</s>BUSTAMANTE: It wouldn't surprise me one bit that the other side has a recall of whoever wins this election.</s>CROWLEY: The specter of California locked in eternal election cycle is not the ringing endorsement you might think the lieutenant governor would give the governor but the Democratic duo are, how to put this, not close which is to say they haven't spoken in several months. Still, Cruz Bustamante, thought to covet the top job, will not put his name on the ballot. No Democrat is expected to.</s>BUSTAMANTE: Others are going to have to decide themselves but, for me, I think it's the best thing for me.</s>CROWLEY: But for Democrats do you think it is for all Democrats to stay off except for Gray Davis?</s>BUSTAMANTE: I think it's a winning formula.</s>CROWLEY: The save Gray Davis formula is to give heavily Democratic California no alternative to Davis except Republicans, a tough choice for even the most disgruntled Democrat and the way to frame the recall as a crass overreach by Republicans who can't win the old-fashioned way.</s>CROWLEY: Still, some Democrats privately worry that Gray Davis may have alienated enough of his base that they prefer a Republican candidate and for precisely that reason Republicans believe that it's possible a Democrat may get into this race sooner rather than later -- back to you Anderson.</s>COOPER: But, Candy, as you said in your piece, yikes. I'm not even sure where to begin with this. When do the other potential candidates, the Republican challengers if, in fact, no Democrats do decide to run, when do they have to sign up by?</s>CROWLEY: In early August. They don't have a lot of time but then this has been coming for a while. I mean they say this train coming down the track but right now state Republican Party leaders tell us that they've sort of put out the word to the Republicans who voiced some interest in this, look, don't go make it official right now because they do suspect that a Democrat might get in and what they'd like to do, at least the state Republican Party would like to do, is maybe see if they can't winnow down the field if a Democrat jumps in because they'll have a stronger road that way.</s>COOPER: Understood. All right, Candy Crowley thanks very much. More now on the maneuvering, political, legal, and otherwise between now and the 7th of October, we're joined tonight by Gary Delsohn of the "Sacramento Bee." Gary thanks for joining us. Welcome to</s>NEWSNIGHT. GARY DELSOHN, "SACRAMENTO BEE": Thank you, my pleasure.</s>COOPER: Does Gray Davis have any hope? I mean where does he go from here? Does he start swinging?</s>DELSOHN: Well, I think he's already doing that. He's in full campaign mode really. He's comfortable campaigning. He announced the creation of a campaign team today. Most of the polls show that I think 48 to 51 percent, somewhere in that range favor a recall and so he's got a fighting chance and he's tenacious. He's a fighter.</s>COOPER: And the strategy that he's going to fight with is?</s>DELSOHN: Well, he's already portraying this as kind of a right wing extremist move to take over the governorship, you know, take it back after the last election, sour grapes. It's going to cost the state between $30 million and $60 million to stage the election. He's highlighting that in light of the budget problems so these are the kinds of things I think he'll be highlighting.</s>COOPER: Candy mentioned Republican strategy might be try to winnow down any potential candidates, at least try to get at least one Republican candidate out there so as not to divide the vote. Is that possible?</s>DELSOHN: I think that's what they'd like to do but I don't know that it's possible. I mean there's a lot of speculation, obviously, as you all know on Arnold Schwarzenegger, Richard Riordan former mayor of -- pardon? Didn't hear you? You know so it's -- Bill Simon who was the losing candidate in last year's election for the Republicans, sounds like he's going to get in. There's a number of Republicans who are talking about it and thinking about it. It remains to be seen. They have until August 9 at the end of -- 5:00 p.m. that Saturday to declare their candidacy and file the papers.</s>COOPER: Well, do you think it is likely, though, that the Democrats at least will close ranks behind Gray Davis and no Democrat will step forward to run?</s>DELSOHN: Right now they're closing ranks behind him. You know all the Democrats that would have expected maybe to or that want to run in the future have said they won't run this time. Assembly Democrats today got together and voted unanimously to oppose the recall and they categorized it as a right-wing extremist attempt to hijack the governorship. Right now the Democrats are closing ranks but I think, you know, it depends maybe on the numbers what the polls look like. There's a lot of -- there could be pressure on somebody like Senator Feinstein or someone else to get in if Davis looks like a loser. The last thing they want is to lose this to the Republicans in this manner but I think they're, you know, right now they're going to wait and see and they're behind the governor even though he's not necessarily on the best of terms with a lot of potential Democrats who could run.</s>COOPER: I think a lot of people nationally are sort of waiting and seeing on this sort of just stunned at it all. Do you think there is going to be a lot of national involvement either from the parties at large or individual groups?</s>DELSOHN: Well, so far we haven't seen any. I think the White House seems to be staying clear of it, at least in a visible manner. I mean this is such a bizarre kind of uncharted territory that nobody really knows how it's going to play out, what the ramifications long term will be for either party. You know, I think people seem to be taking the attitude that this is California's peculiar problem and will stay out of it. That could change but right now we haven't seen any evidence that it will yet.</s>COOPER: Gray Davis is known as a pretty tough campaigner.</s>DELSOHN: There's no question. I mean I talked to somebody who is close to him about a week ago. He said he's more lighthearted and light of spirit than he's seen him in months. He likes the campaign. He likes the fight. I'm sure he'd rather be doing other things and not being put through this -- a recall. It's kind of humiliating and difficult but he's a tenacious guy. As he said, you know, he's been written off many times politically in his career. He knows how to campaign. He may not be the most charismatic campaigner but he does know how to push the buttons that people seem to respond to and he wins, you know. He has won the elections that he's run in, so I think anybody who knows him, and even the Republicans who are being honest with you will tell you that it's a mistake to write him off or sell him short or underestimate him.</s>COOPER: All right, Gary Delsohn good to actually talk to you. Welcome to NEWSNIGHT and we'll talk to you again no doubt. Coming up on NEWSNIGHT, the report on September 11 is out, what is shows and what it does not as NEWSNIGHT continues.