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Many hats may enter recall ring Darrell Issa The 49-year-old congressman from San Diego County is the only announced Republican candidate and, with $800,000 invested, is the driving force behind Rescue California, the group gathering recall petition signatures. A businessman worth at least $100 million, Issa can spend freely and quickly on a campaign. He spent $10 million on an unsuccessful U.S. Senate bid in 1998. Issa hopes his success in business sells to an electorate eager to fix California's finances. In a general election, his record of opposing abortion and supporting offshore oil drilling could limit his appeal in California, where clear majorities feel otherwise. In a plurality recall, though, support from conservative Republicans could be enough. Bill Jones The 54-year-old former secretary of state came in last in the three-way Republican gubernatorial primary last year. His war chest was dwarfed by those of his two rivals, and some supporters of President Bush were reluctant to back him because he had supported Arizona Sen. John McCain in the 2000 presidential primary. Jones was considering a recall candidacy early on but may instead favor a run for U.S. Senate. Tom McClintock The 46-year-old state senator lost the race for state controller last November in the general election but came closer to winning than any other Republican running for statewide constitutional office. McClintock's anti-tax crusades reduced car taxes and led to smog fee rebates in years past. A conservative, he opposes abortion and supports gun owners' rights and school voucher programs. Rob Reiner The 56-year-old movie director, who played Archie Bunker's son-in-law "Meathead" in the 1970s sitcom "All in the Family," is already considering a 2006 run for governor. Reiner has been building a liberal Democratic political résumé since 1998, when his advocacy helped persuade voters to pass Proposition 10, levying a 50-cents-a-pack cigarette tax to pay for early childhood education and health care programs. He has been an ally to Davis, who named Reiner as chairman of the commission established to implement Proposition 10. As with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Reiner's longstanding celebrity and personal wealth might attract supporters in the absence of officeholder experience. Richard Riordan The 73-year-old former mayor of Los Angeles was the favorite to win last year's GOP gubernatorial primary until Gov. Davis' team interfered in the race, accusing Riordan of flip-flopping on a range of issues. Wealthy and supportive of abortion rights, Riordan has been part of the recall underground since February but has done his talking out of public earshot. Arnold Schwarzenegger The hunky 55-year-old celebrity is a former Austrian bodybuilder who went on to play lead roles in hit movies, including "Total Recall" and the "Terminator" series. The Republican paved the way for a 2006 gubernatorial run last year with a successful ballot measure, Proposition 49, to fund after-school programs. His fame, his support of gun control and abortion rights and his connection to the Kennedy family via his marriage to Maria Shriver could help him with Democrats but make him less likely to be embraced by GOP conservatives. Democrats also intend to stir up tales of womanizing in his past should he run. Schwarzenegger's advisers expect him to make a decision after the July 2 premiere of "Terminator 3." In a recent speech to an anti-tax group, he joked: "This is really embarrassing. I just forgot our state governor's name, but I know that you will help me recall him." Bill Simon
The 52-year-old investor was last year's GOP gubernatorial nominee, spending more than $9 million of his own money to lose to Davis by five percentage points. Simon has fantasized aloud about an I-told-you-so rematch, given that one of
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