From the WSJ’s Best of the Web daily e-mail:
Republicans’ Golden State
Democrats are supposed to do well in tomorrow’s election, but the New York Times reports from Los Angeles that one bright spot for the GOP is likely to be California, a state John Kerry carried by almost 10% of the vote:
Of the seven statewide offices up for grabs, two are all but certain to go to Republicans, and three are in a statistical tie, according to a Field Poll released Thursday. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger leads his Democratic challenger by roughly 16 points, and the Republican candidate for state insurance commissioner has nearly a 10-point lead.
The race for lieutenant governor is a dead heat, and Democrats are barely ahead in the races for state controller and secretary of state, with a huge percentage of voters undecided in those races.
The party seems assured of victory only in the contest for attorney general–where Jerry Brown, the mayor of Oakland and a former governor, is far ahead–and in the race for state treasurer.
The lieutenant governor’s race is especially interesting, since the GOP nominee, Tom McClintock, is a strong conservative. He finished third in the 2003 race to replace recalled Gov. Gray Davis, behind Schwarzenegger and Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, who now trails badly in the insurance commissioner race.
The race for lieutenant governor is a dead heat, and Democrats are barely ahead in the races for state controller and secretary of state, with a huge percentage of voters undecided in those races.
The party seems assured of victory only in the contest for attorney general–where Jerry Brown, the mayor of Oakland and a former governor, is far ahead–and in the race for state treasurer.
The lieutenant governor’s race is especially interesting, since the GOP nominee, Tom McClintock, is a strong conservative. He finished third in the 2003 race to replace recalled Gov. Gray Davis, behind Schwarzenegger and Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, who now trails badly in the insurance commissioner race.
On "The Journal Editorial Report this weekend, John Fund predicted that McClintock would win, making him a strong contender for governor in 2010, when term limits will prevent Schwarzenegger from running again.