A big, fat deficit is the achilles heel of the Left. Known for their 'great leaps' in social policy-- when the cupboard is bare even the faithful democratic voter gets nervous. Time to illustrate how a more stable (conservative) administration is capable of ironing out the wrinkles in any economy by cutting excesses while making California more attractive to the private sector (investors, ie lower taxes) who produce jobs and all the goodies that go with it. Rocking the boat is a liberal thing. With retirement on the minds of many, now is the time for a soothing-of-the-waters and Simon could reap much from this approach. The key is to propose a lean and efficient administration of government, and a $24Billion deficit is representative of anything but leaness.
Abortion could kill more than fetuses. In Calfornia it might as well be the third rail political issue. Here, he must turn the argument on it's head and appeal to those women who have ever had one and lived to regret it. A single vote from half of this group could put him over the top. Emoter voters.
And finally, look out for "Simon Says" type negative ads. An all too easy way to paint one as a dictator. I'd be first to use it in a positive way to pre-empt what will surley be headed his way. If I find that the message from both parties appears to be just more of the same, I'll vote libertarian as I've grown tired of excuses as to why government can't be reined in. I've got about 24 billion reasons.