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Sacramento Bee Columnist Daniel Weintraub

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May 19, 2003

DiFi for governor?

Gray Davis and Dianne Feinstein have never been buds, but DiFi just might be Gray’s secret weapon in fending off the recall. Admirers of the moderate two-term U.S. Senator and former SF mayor are starting to discuss the possibility of Feinstein putting her name on the ballot if the recall qualifies. The move would make sense for Feinstein, who is California’s most popular politician and one who once longed to be governor. If she ran, she would almost certainly win against any opponent from either party, save perhaps the wildcard possibility of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Which is ultimately how she could help Gray. Republican leaders and potential funders might want to think twice about helping to qualify the recall if it would mean dumping one Democrat only to elect a stronger one. Not only that, if Feinstein became governor, she could appoint her successor in the Senate, potentially locking up that seat for a younger Democrat for years to come. Then again, the desire to dump Davis might be so strong among GOP activists that any thought of unintended consequences simply won’t matter.

PS. The LA Times’ Jean Pasco reported Saturday that the Orange County Lincoln Club has cut a check for $100,000 to the recall campaign and pledged another $150,000 from club members. Here’s the link. It requires registration, but you can use sign-on CaliforniaInsider and password Insider