By JJ Bowman
Assistant News Editor
The adage “Be careful what you wish for” applies to many Republicans across the state. Although Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan appeared to have a lock on the GOP nomination for governor, the more conservative – and even many supporters say less electable – Bill Simon won the race instead, despite little backing from the White House or the state Republican party.
With Election Day only five days away, Gov. Gray Davis has a comfortable lead in the polls and looks poised to win re-election. Nevertheless, many Pepperdine students will not give up their support for Simon, nor will concede that Riordan would have been a better choice to face Davis.
“I’m not a fan of Riordan,” said David Raimer, secretary of College Republicans on campus. “He’s basically a Democrat.”
If Riordan had won the Republican nomination and the governorship, Raimer said he wouldn’t see a big victory in that.
“There wouldn’t have been a change in the status quo,” he said.
Still Raimer said he believes the race should not have come down to the wire.
“I don’t think (the race) had to be up in the air,” he said.
A few months ago Davis appeared quite vulnerable. The governor had accepted a multi-million dollar deal with Oracle to purchase software that most people agreed the state did not need. An official in his administration then accepted a $25,000 check from an Oracle lobbyist. The aide was fired and the state stands to lose millions on the deal.
Davis also became a national punch line during the 2001 power shortage. Although supporters maintain that Davis did not create the problem, critics point to his ineffectiveness in foreseeing and reacting to the shortage that forced rolling blackouts across the state.
Despite his baggage, Republicans have been unable to close the door on Davis, who has kept a feverish pace with his attack ad spending. Davis has pointed out Simon’s anti-abortion stance and his endorsement by the National Rifle Association. Davis also attacked Simon for a $78-million fraud verdict against him. The verdict was later overturned, but the Simon campaign took a blow regardless.
Even though the governor has spent most of his advertisements attacking Simon, many observers, including CNN political commentator Robert Novak, say this campaign is about Gray Davis.
“This whole election is not about Bill Simon, it’s about Gray Davis,” he said at speech two weeks ago in Raitt Recital Hall. Novak said the two key issues for Nov. 5 are the energy shortage and the political class Davis has put himself in by being a prolific fundraiser.
Bill Simon will soon find out on Nov. 5 if he did enough to topple a man once considered quite vulnerable.
If he does, Novak said it wouldn’t be because of his campaign.
“Bill Simon has run maybe the worst campaign I can imagine,” he said.
Although he has not received widespread support during the campaign, college Republican Raimer said it’s time for new blood.
“Davis had his chance, he blew it,” he said.
Now Simon will have to wait and see if he blew it too.
October 31, 2002