Sunday
* Gov. Gray Davis stopped short of endorsing Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante in the recall election, even though a growing number of Democrats are supporting a "No on Recall, Yes on Bustamante" strategy. The governor signaled his support for Bustamante, with whom he has maintained chilly relations, but said he would not reveal until about 10 days before the Oct. 7 election how he would vote on the question of who should replace him if he is recalled. In withholding his endorsement until the final days of the campaign, Davis said, he was merely following his normal practice. "Cruz is my friend; he is a very capable person," Davis said on the CNN show "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer." "His entry in the race, I think, will actually help me by bringing out more people to vote no on the recall. And clearly he's the most qualified person."
* Sen. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) said that the departure of conservative GOP rival Bill Simon Jr. from the race on Aug. 23 added momentum to his own campaign, as did the Los Angeles Times Poll that showed him gaining ground on Republican front-runner Arnold Schwarzenegger. "If you look at the polls, it seems that Arnold is not moving," McClintock said, even with "this all-Arnold, all-the-time all this month." "We've gone from fifth place to third place," he said. "The movement is on our side."
* Schwarzenegger added a seasoned GOP media person to his campaign team: Mike Murphy, a veteran GOP advertising official whose clients have included Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the 2000 presidential election, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas. Campaign insiders said the hiring had been planned for some time, though several aides acknowledged having been overwhelmed by the tidal wave of attention that Schwarzenegger's candidacy attracted.
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Monday
* Schwarzenegger appeared on two conservative talk radio shows. He repeated many of the same anti-tax themes that he employed the previous week during a meeting with his economic advisors. He also struck the most partisan tone of his campaign so far, invoking former President Reagan and pledging to campaign for President George W. Bush's reelection. And Schwarzenegger, who has pledged to run a positive campaign, took several swipes at Bustamante for trying to "punish the people" by raising taxes to cover the state government's budget deficit. The movie star also sought to link Davis and Bustamante.
