Poll: Bustamante leads Schwarzenegger

Aug 16, 2003 | Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger are in a tight race to succeed Gray Davis if voters decide to oust the Democratic governor in a historic recall election Oct. 7, according to a Field Poll released Saturday.

Bustamante, a Democrat, had the backing of 25 percent of those questioned, compared to 22 percent for Schwarzenegger, a Republican.

Six other contenders among the 135 candidates on the recall ballot are trailing far behind with only single-digit support, according to the Field Research Corp.'s survey of 448 likely voters.

The survey was conducted over a four-day period that ended Wednesday. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

Republican State Sen. Tom McClintock was supported by 9 percent of those polled, while 8 percent favored former GOP gubernatorial nominee Bill Simon. Former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, also a Republican, got 5 percent.

Political columnist Arianna Huffington, an independent, had 4 percent; Green Party candidate Peter Camejo had 2 percent and Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, a Democrat, was supported by 1 percent of those surveyed.

Five percent said they supported other candidates; 5 percent said they supported none of the candidates and 14 percent were undecided.

But the results appeared to be highly volatile, with 44 percent of those backing a candidate saying they might change their minds before voting.

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