In this Wednesday post, I stated that it might be rational for Democrats to encourage Bustamante to leave the race (though I offered some counterarguments to that position). Some Democrats have now started encouraging Bustamante to do just that. (See here.) If today’s Field Poll is to be believed, such a move may not be enough help Davis:
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The laws governing recall elections specify that the name of the officeholder who is the object of the recall cannot appear on the election ballot as a possible replacement candidate. Nevertheless, there has been some speculation that if Davis had been allowed to be on the ballot and Bustamante had not entered the race, the Governor might emerge the winner, particularly in a crowded field of candidates.
To test this hypothesis, this question was included in the current survey: Suppose Governor Davis had been allowed to run as a candidate in the replacement election and that Lt. Governor Bustamante had not run. If all other candidates were the same, who would you have voted for?