Top recall candidates moving to turn crowded ballot into two-ma

SAN DIEGO -- Top Democrats and Republicans began shifting their support to the front-runners in California's recall race Friday, trying to turn the chaos of a 135-candidate ballot into a race shaped by traditional party politics.

While Democrats continued to oppose the effort to unseat Gov. Gray Davis, they began to rally behind Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the only high-profile Democrat among the replacement candidates.

A powerful group of Republican donors, meanwhile, stepped up pressure on GOP candidates trailing actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, fearing the crowded field could split the party vote and give Bustamante an edge.

A new poll released Friday shows Californians are closely divided on whether to recall Davis, a change from earlier polls that suggested stronger support for the effort.

The Los Angeles Times poll found half of likely voters support the recall effort, while 45 percent are opposed and 4 percent undecided. The poll of 801 likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

State Senate Minority Leader Jim Brulte said he may ask one or more of the four major Republican candidates to drop out of the recall race.

In addition to Schwarze-negger, high-profile Republicans on the ballot include former baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth, businessman Bill Simon and state Sen. Tom McClintock. The Republican who funded the recall petition drive, U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, already dropped out.

Simon said Friday that he felt no pressure to drop his campaign but acknowledged that the field could narrow.

The Lincoln Club of Orange County, which includes some of the state's top Republican donors, endorsed Schwarze-negger on Friday and called on the other Republican candidates to abandon the race.

"I think that other Republicans have to determine for themselves what impact their candidacy will have," U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher said Friday before meeting with Schwarzenegger. "My guess is that an honest look at it would tell you that Arnold has a great chance of winning and the others should think about whether or not they want to stay in."

Even if some candidates do drop out of the race, all 135 names will still appear on the Oct. 7 ballot.

Davis' name only appears on the first part, which asks if he should be removed from office. On the second part, voters chose who should replace him if the recall succeeds.

"If there are more nos than yeses, it doesn't matter what happens on question two," Davis told reporters Friday in San Diego.

Still, Democrats worry about the recall and see backing Bustamante as a hedge against losing the governor's office.

Davis and Bustamante have a frosty relationship and rarely speak, but the governor suggested the two could campaign together.

"I've said repeatedly that Cruz Bustamante is a good and decent person. I like him personally," Davis said Friday. "Despite the conventional wisdom to the contrary, I believe his participation in this race will bring more people to the polls who will vote 'no' on the first issue."

Bustamante has been endorsed by the state's 33 Democratic U.S. House members and the California Teachers Association.