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CONTACTS
SFSU Office of Public Affairs
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(415) 609-1666
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Press Release published by the Office of Public Affairs
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SAN
FRANCISCO, August 8, 2003 -- As the California recall campaign
continues to shape up with daily developments, several
San Francisco State University faculty political experts
are available to provide background and analysis. They will
be available Saturday, Aug. 9, the deadline for candidates
to file papers to run for California governor.
For additional assistance in reaching faculty experts in other
areas, call the SFSU Office of Public Affairs at (415) 338-1665
or (415) 609-1666 or visit: www.sfsu.edu/~news/expert.htm
Corey Cook, assistant professor of political science, is an
authority on state and urban regional politics. He can be reached
at (510) 336-0978 (home).
Cook
believes the chances of Gov. Gray Davis keeping his job are
next to
none, now that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lt.
Gov.
Cruz Bustamante have announced their candidacies. "The
front runners now are Schwarzenegger and Bustamante," Cook
said. "Bustamante must be considered a front runner because
he is the only candidate who can get Democrats to vote in the
recall election. If either gets 20 percent of the vote, he
will win."
Joe Tuman, professor of speech and communication studies,
is an expert on political communication and public opinion.
He can be reached at (510) 834-2294 (home), (510) 326-5254
(cell) or JTuman7643@aol.com.
Tuman
said the recall election is becoming more like a general
election, now that Democrats have entered the race. He believes
this does not bode well for Gov. Davis. "The irony is
that this election is structured in such an archaic and ridiculous
way, he could lose and still get more votes than the person
who would replace him," Tuman said. "There is nothing
democratic about that."
David Tabb, professor of political science, is an expert on
politics and elections. He can be reached at (510) 525-0890
(home) or dtabb@sfsu.edu.
Tabb
said that Scharzenegger will attempt to target Independent
voters
who support the recall. He added that the recall effort,
which delivered 1.6 million signatures from across the state,
may also give Republicans a head start with voters going into
the 2004 campaign. "The most important factor of the
recall election is that it will provide voter lists for the
Republican Party for 2004," he said. "You will
have a ‘likely voter’ list ready to go with lots
of non-partisans, Independents, and even some Democrats who
signed recall petitions and who are ripe for Republican pickings."
Francis Neely, assistant professor of political science, is
an authority on national politics, including media influence
of political attitudes. He can be reached at (415) 386-3748
or fneely@sfsu.edu.
Neely
said that it is possible that a recall election, regardless
of the outcome, will cause Californians to think carefully
about the power of direct democracy. If a Republican replaces
Davis, the new governor faces Democratic majorities in Sacramento.
If Davis stays, much public money will be spent to hold the
election that doesn’t change things. "But even
if the outcome does turn out to be unsatisfying to many people,
the allure of direct democracy in its various forms, especially
the ballot initiative, will likely remain alive and well in
the hearts and minds of most Californians," Neely said.
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