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Slim Majority of Voters Backs Davis Recall If the election were held today, 51% of voters would opt to unseat Davis, while 42% would reject the proposed recall, the poll found. Support for the recall has risen substantially since March, when a Times poll found just 39% of voters in favor of it. The new survey illustrates the political danger that Davis faces as he struggles to survive the Republican-led campaign to kick him out of office. Voters overwhelmingly give the Democratic governor abysmal ratings on the budget, the economy, schools and energy. "We need to get rid of him," poll respondent Michael Johnson, 42, an unemployed San Diego software engineer and registered independent, said in a follow-up interview. "He's the man in charge, so the buck stops there." Yet the poll's other findings suggest that many voters are not firmly wedded to a recall. When told that the special election sought by proponents would cost at least $25 million, enough voters reversed themselves to doom the recall. And when voters were asked whether they would support a recall if no Democrats were on the ballot to replace Davis, enough switched sides to keep him in office. At present, the state's leading Democrats are united behind the governor, insisting that they do not intend to run to replace him. The poll showed that, by far, the most popular statewide politician — and the favorite to replace Davis — was U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has been leading the Democratic effort to forge a united front against the recall. Second among the potential replacements was former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger and recall financier and U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista, among others, trailing behind. Despite the potential for another shift of opinion, the poll illustrates the precipitous slide in Davis' fortunes. Less than five years after he romped to a landslide victory, and just eight months after he was reelected, the governor's popularity has plunged to another record low for his tenure: 22% of California voters approve of the way he is handling his job, while 69% disapprove, the poll found. Supporting the recall are a majority of Republicans, conservatives, whites, Latinos and Southern California voters. A solid majority of liberals, blacks and Bay Area voters oppose the recall. Three in five Democrats are against the recall; moderates are split on the matter. The backdrop for the governor's troubles is a sour public mood. Nearly two out of three Californians say the state is on the wrong track; barely one in four believes it is moving in the right direction. Many voters blame Davis for the state's stagnant economy and its colossal budget problems. "I find it incredible that when he took office we had a surplus in this state, and now we're in the hole," said apartment manager Teri Hoerntlein, 37, a San Bernardino County independent who backs the recall. "If this were a private business, we would have had to declare bankruptcy." For months, the fiscal crisis has consumed Davis and the Legislature, drowning out the rest of the governor's agenda. The budget debacle has also moved to the top of the list of public concerns, surpassing education, the poll found. To close the state's record $38-billion shortfall, Davis is pushing to raise taxes and cut spending. Three out of four voters disapprove of Davis' handling of the budget.
"Something has to be done," said Visalia Republican June Glick, 60, another recall supporter. "Our state is in the biggest mess
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