Phil Angelides, speaking at rally in Los Angeles, is joined by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (center) Sen. Barbara Boxer (lower right) and state Sen. Debra Bowen (far right), a secretary of state candidate.
Posted on 11/07/2006 10:37:06 AM PST by SmithL
The election excitement sweeping across much of the nation isn't flowing into California, where the turnout for today's statewide general election isn't expected to be much better than 2002's record low, according to a Field Poll estimate released today.
With races for governor and U.S. Senate at the top of the ballot, turnout is expected to be 51.5 percent, second worst in history for a regularly scheduled election, behind only the 50.6 percent of registered voters who showed up four years ago to re-elect Democrat Gray Davis as governor. Secretary of State Bruce McPherson's slightly more optimistic prediction of a 55 percent turnout still would be second from the bottom historically.
"I hope we're both wrong,'' said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Field Poll. "But the lack of suspense and drama at the top of the ticket may be depressing turnout.''
Polls in the final days before the election showed Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger with a double-digit lead over Democratic state Treasurer Phil Angelides and Sen. Dianne Feinstein running far ahead of her GOP opponent, former state Sen. Richard Mountjoy of the Los Angeles suburb of Monrovia.
In 2002, Davis held a big lead over Republican Bill Simon at the top of the ticket in a race that stirred little excitement. A year later, Davis was gone, replaced by Schwarzenegger in the historic recall election.
"This looks very similar to four years ago, an election in which there is an overwhelming favorite,'' DiCamillo said.
... Candidates for such down-ballot jobs as lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, controller, attorney general and insurance commissioner can only hope their supporters will be the voters casting ballots.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Turnout in a heavily Democrat state down?
How can that be?
Isn't there a blue wave??
That's sure a scary looking crowd he hangs around with.
They look like they all probably have somebody's scrotum in their jewelry box.
All those illegals just itching to vote and make a difference and California politics is dead as a door nail.
Who has Phil's?
Eh, it's the standard crowd of lipless liberal women.
I'm betting it's because the Govenor's race is a done deal, so a lot of people won't bother with the rest.
I'm not sure he ever had one
LOL. You're right.
Opportune time to go vote if you're a republican in California. Grab your rat sweeping broom and some friends and GET OUT THE VOTE!
Let's hope that there are enough real conservatives that turn out to vote for McClintock.
While the coast is blue, the Central Valley/Sierra Foothills is RED...
Hopefully the Dems believe their 'wave' will do the work for them and stay home.
Gonna be a loooooong nite. ;)
I had to vote "None of the Above" in my San Francisco city supervisor race. One liberal wackjob worse than the other and I wasn't about to vote for the lesser of two evils. My US House member is Pelosi!! I'm out of options around here and felt like I was almost wasting my time voting in a losing cause.
I just voted in my Sierra mountain very small town. It was packed.....
Done and DONE!
You may have missed it (was news late yesterday) but McClintock's internals as of Friday had him ahead by 3 among registered voters and by 7 among likely voters with his pollster predicting a 5 point margin of VICTORY.
We just voted, and they handed us little "I VOTED" stickers ~ in SPANISH!!!
I had to REQUEST one in English!
Low turn out would be great news. If only it were raining cats and dogs with a 70 MPH wind .... that would smell like ... VICTORY!
Most conservatives know that there is more to voting than just the top of the ticket. The big-borrowing and new taxes being foist by Hollywood liberals should be enough to get them to the polls. I'm hoping that our more "moderate" bunch in the BigTent(R) won't follow Arnold on his big borrowing scheme and believing that "McClintock is wrong." Some Republicans even launched a robo-call ad with Arnold's quote urging votes for Garamendi!
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