California Republican Candidates for governor to debate in San Jose, Long Beach

San Jose Mercury News ^ | 12 December 2001 | Dion Nissenbaum

[CounterCounterCulture]

Published Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2001, in the San Jose Mercury News

Candidates for governor to debate in San Jose

SJSU TO HOST GOP CHALLENGERS

BY DION NISSENBAUM
Mercury News Sacramento Bureau

SACRAMENTO -- The three major Republican candidates who hope to unseat Gov. Gray Davis have agreed to two debates early next year -- the first in San Jose -- to help GOP voters decide who should take on the Democrat in November.

Secretary of State Bill Jones, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and Los Angeles businessman Bill Simon will face off in one-hour sessions, one at San Jose State University on Jan. 22 and a second at California State University-Long Beach on Feb. 13.

The California Broadcasters Association will sponsor the debates, which will be made available free to television and radio stations that want to broadcast them.

The January debate will mark the first time San Jose State has been chosen as a gubernatorial debate site, said a spokeswoman for the state university system.

With Riordan leading his two challengers in the polls, his opponents have called on him to take part in three debates before the March 5 primary.

``Additional debates, closer to primary election day, when voters are paying attention, will be a great opportunity for discussion of these differences,'' said Sal Russo, Simon's chief political strategist.

Before he had officially declared he was a candidate, Riordan turned down a chance to debate Jones and Simon at a Nov. 3 forum of GOP activists in San Jose.

While Riordan expressed a willingness Tuesday to take part in at least one more debate, his campaign later said there are no plans to take part in any more.

``The decision has been made, and we're moving forward,'' said Carolina Guevara, a spokeswoman for the Riordan campaign.

In both evening forums, the candidates will be questioned by a trio of reporters in front of a selected studio audience. Some students and faculty members from both San Jose and Long Beach may get a chance to take part.

[CounterCounterCulture]

• San Jose State University
• California State University-Long Beach

[TwoStep]

**Ping**

[StoneColdGOP]

Sweet... I'll be there!

[Saundra Duffy]

Go Bill Jones! Tell Riordan he's a creep to try and exploit the issue of abortion in such a flip manner! Abortion is not an issue to be bantied about for the purpose of getting votes. Women's lives are at stake. There's a link between abortion and breast cancer (a fact that most women are unaware of) and abortion is a serious medical procedure with other risks (both medical and psychological). For victory & freedom!!!

[Cool Guy]

Count me in.

[clamper1797]

Go Bill Simon

[CounterCounterCulture]

ABR - Anybody But Riordan

[Mercuria]

NICK JESSON FOR GOVERNOR!!

(Why wasn't he invited???)

[Impeach98]

Jones or Simon will be great... Jesson is a little mentally off. Good policy positions, but he doesn't have the mental and psychological capacity to serve on the Sewer Board let alone be the Republican nominee for Governor against Governor Gray and his soon to be $50 million warchest.

< A HREF="http://www.simonforgovernor.com"> Bill Simon for Gov. Website

or

Bill Jones Website

I still think Simon is the ticket - and he has been catching tons of praise from the conservative press lately.

That should tell anyone even thinking of supporting Jesson something - the guys at National Review includin Kate O'Beirne, Rich Lowry and William F. Buckley Jr., R. Emmet Tyrrell and Company, the gang at World Net Daily, the team at News Max.com, the people at California Political Review over 75% of the California Republican Assembly Members...

Jesson is unstable but conservative. Simon is stable and conservative. Go Simon. And if you think he is too unelectable (calling all liberal Republicans) then vote for Jones. But Riordan and Jesson are a big NO NO!

[Impeach98]

Sorry, Bill Simon, I messed up your website.

Here ya go:

Simon for Gov. Website - Go Bill

[ElkGroveDan]

*PING*

[StoneColdGOP]

BTTT.

[Mercuria]

It's getting tiresome hearing very fine conservative candidates being called "unstable" or "mentally off" by people who are supposed to be my ideological brethren simply for no other reason than they are addicted to professional politicians.

Mr. Jesson is a fine man and true-blue patriot without a black mark against his name...except the ones you are attempting to blot him with utilizing Carvillean namecalling tactics.

"Doesn't have the mental or psychological capacity"? According to WHOM, pray tell? I'm afraid your personal opinion without a scrap of evidence just isn't enough to convince me...and certainly the use of Carvillean smear tactics against one candidate to support your own doesn't give me a better opinion of your candidate, nice guy though he may be!

[KingPin]

Not offense to our CA freepers, but a Republican running for governor is a socialist state like CA seems like a waste of time. These guys must be masocists.

[Impeach98]

Sorry Mercuria: I am talking about how he conducts himself in public, how he has handled his opposition into paying taxes and the investigation launched against him (I admire the principle he is fighting for but the way in which he does it is not demonstrative of a man with a full box of animal crackers in the cupboard) and some of the people he has surrounded himself with. I say people because I am not sure who is on paid staff and who is a volunteer. When I hear him talk though I think back to the movies of Stetford Wives. Great guy on paper in terms of ideological positions, but a guy who scares the sh*t out of me in terms of how many watts he has lighting up his mental lightbulb.

[Impeach98]

"Not offense to our CA freepers, but a Republican running for governor is a socialist state like CA seems like a waste of time. These guys must be masocists."

No offense, but Bret Schundler was a masochist too.

[Impeach98]

Before I get flamed for "that is my point" I am referring to his amazing runs as mayor of Jersey City and overwhelming victories. I'm sure people told him he'd never have a shot, but he ran and won anyways. So too hopefully will Mr. Simon or Mr. Jones in California.

[Mercuria]

Well, I COULD start making some real incendiary remarks about "mental lightbulb wattage" and "Stepford Wives" among the "mainstream" of the Republican Party, but why start a flamewar when I have better things to do?

[StoneColdGOP]

You got a problem wit dat?