From bounty hunters to bankers: recall leads to plebeian platforms

One is a sumo wrestler. Another is the former commissioner of Major League Baseball. A third is a blue-clad Venice Beach bohemian who suggests that his campaign will be a piece of performance art.

The array of candidates in the great stampede to replace California Gov. Gray Davis in this fall's recall election is as broad and eclectic as the state itself.

To some, this is a unique chance for publicity. To others, the recall is the grandest political joke yet devised. And amid all these are earnest idealists who believe they can be antidotes to California's chronic crises. Amid the career politicians, they are bankers and lawyers, teachers and next-door neighbors.

At worst, these more than 120 candidates who have qualified for the Oct. 7 ballot could bring two months of campaign confusion, culminating in a ballot longer than the Dead Sea Scrolls. At best, though, the recall represents a unique moment in American history, when even the common and unconnected can run for the most powerful post in state politics.

"There are certain benefits to people who would want to run for governor who could never do it because of party politics," says Larry Gerston, a political scientist at San Jose State University. "The downside is: What do parties do? They sift out the silly candidates from the serious candidates."

Indeed, the silly candidates have seemingly turned the California into a Big Top of American politics. Larry Flynt, the founder of Hustler magazine, is running, as well as an adult-film star. Billboard model Angelyne is in, as well as child TV star Gary Coleman, former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, and Donald Novello, creator of Saturday Night Live's Father Guido Sarducci.

Some candidates are no stranger to politics. Businessman Bill Simon, who ran against Governor Davis in the most recent election, has entered the fray. So has Green Party candidate Peter Camejo, who ran for the office in 2002. Audie Bock, former state assemblywoman, will also attempt to leapfrog to the top rung on the ladder of political hierarchy with her candidacy bid.

There are many other noncelebrity candidates from all walks of life, too: A bounty hunter, school teacher, a travel agent, and a 100-year-old woman, and the Venice Beach artist who sports a blue cowboy hat.

While the secretary of state will not announce the official tally until Wednesday, the ease of getting into the race - 65 signatures and $3,500 - has brought California to the brink of political chaos. Some observers suggest that if the recall of Gov. Gray Davis passes on Part 1 of the ballot, the replacement winner on Part 2 might take as little as 15 percent of the vote.

"I can't imagine the challenges for voters just sifting through all the names," says Professor Gerston.

Moreover, the situation might force counties to scrap newer voting systems in favor of more-primitive machines, which can handle more names. "The fallback is to go to a system that our voters are not familiar with," says Steve Weir, a Contra Costa County official who says his electronic system can handle only 45 names.

Page: 1 | 2