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Clear-thinking and knowledgeable voters will know that the "Simon will outlaw abortion" argument is a bogeyman. As long as Roe v. Wade stands, there is little a state governor can do on this issue other than take a moral position, and perhaps tinker around the edges a bit (e.g., educational policy, state funding on counseling, health care, etc.). OTOH, a state's governor is in a strong position to influence the economy of a state. If the race is defined as abortion vs. economy, its a no-brainer...for those who have brains.

Therein lies the rub. My fear is that the sucker moms and other gullible sheeple will be carried away by the emotion of the argument. The media, especially in CA, will eat this one up. There's nothing in the world they'd like more than to see a conservative, pro-life candidate defeated. My guess is that Davis will play this issue to the exclusion of all others, because he has nothing of substance to offer. And if the energy issue is raised, he'll blame it all on Bush, Cheney, and Enron. If emotion carries the day, Simon and the GOP will get creamed (again).

Davis is going to try and make the issue about abortion, but with the economy, energy and education problems he faces, I think that he's going to be hard-pressed to avoid talking about his failed policies.

While the majority of people in California consider themselves "pro-choice", most people DON'T vote on the issue. In 1998, only 25% of the voters said that abortion was ONE of the deciding factors in their choice for Governor: 13% voted for Lungren, 12% voted for Davis. Obviously, abortion is a wash. The passionate pro-lifers and the passionate pro-aborts will never vote for the other party ... they vote straight Republican if the Republican is pro-life, or straight Democrat (there are few, if any, pro-life Democrats in California.)

Most people vote because of other reasons. This is what Davis fails to grasp. He thinks that Lungren lost because of abortion. Lungren lost because he ran an inept campaign and he was a bad, hard-edged candidate.

The issues are with Simon. If Simon can successfully talk about the issues -- even when Davis is harping on abortion -- Simon can win. Soon, the voters are going to get sick and tired of Davis interjecting abortion into every question.

Davis is not a slam dunk. Simon has his work cut out for him, but Davis has a truckload of failures and sins to atone for.