Arnie faces collateral damage in political race

CALIFORNIA Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante has a significant lead over actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the race to succeed Governor Gray Davis, according to a poll released on Saturday night.

Of 801 likely voters surveyed by the Los Angeles Times, 35% backed Bustamante, a Democrat, while 22% supported film star Schwarzenegger, a Republican.

Poll data released on Friday by the Times showed 50% support the effort to oust Davis and 45% oppose it.

The new numbers for Bustamante differ from others released lately. Surveys by the Public Policy Institute of California and Field Poll showed Bustamante and Schwarzenegger within five percentage points of each other.

Behind Schwarzenegger in the Times poll were three other Republicans: state Senator Tom McClintock, with 12%; former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, with 7%; and Bill Simon, with 6%.

Simon, who won the Republican primary last year but lost to Davis by five percentage points in November, backed out of the race Saturday. He said his decision was based on his belief that there were “too many Republicans” in the race, and the poll results may bear that out.

Six out of 10 Democrats said they had decided who to support in the recall, compared with 46% of Republicans.

Political commentator Arianna Huffington, who is running a nonpartisan campaign, was named by 3% of respondents, and Green Party candidate Peter Camejo tied Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt with 1%.

The poll results also showed much could change before the October 7 special election. Among likely voters, 46% said they might change their mind about who to support.

The poll surveyed 1,351 people, identifying 801 likely voters, between August 16 and August 21. Its margin of error was plus or minus three percentage points.