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Riordan, Feinstein at center of parties' recall buzz Their plea for Feinstein's entry signaled a significant break in Democratic unity. After actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, a moderate Republican, all but pulled himself out of the race, Republicans on Tuesday turned to Riordan as their best hope to replace the Democratic governor if he loses the Oct. 7 recall election. Schwarzenegger advisers said he is strongly leaning against running for governor after considering the impact on his wife and four young children. A formal announcement could come as early as Thursday, one adviser said on condition of anonymity. Riordan spent Tuesday talking with friends and political consultants and began assembling a campaign team. Sources say Schwarzenegger, who is friends with the moderate Los Angeles Republican, may be waiting to officially remove his name from speculation in order to give Riordan time to organize his campaign. Two recent polls showed Riordan as the most popular potential GOP challenger. Those close to Riordan say he does not relish the prospect of taking control of a state in dire financial straits, but he also sees the poetic justice in potentially vanquishing Davis, who spent $10 million during the GOP primary last year to help defeat him. Even so, there remains some hesitation, said Mark Chapin Johnson, Riordan's chief fundraiser in the 2002 gubernatorial primary. ``I'm quite confident Dick will run, with one big `however.' It remains to be seen what happens on the other side of the aisle,'' he said. Riordan has told Johnson and a newspaper columnist that if Feinstein, a popular Democrat, decides to get in the race, he will not run. ``I picture him sitting in his living room or study discussing all the different permutations of how this thing can unfold,'' Johnson said. A Riordan representative said Tuesday that he was not granting interviews. On the Democratic front, Davis hailed the passage of the budget in the state Assembly on Tuesday, which his campaign called a ``big victory'' and characterized as evidence of his leadership. But the day also marked public dissension among Democrats who are beginning to question Davis' strategy of not placing a well-known Democrat on the replacement ballot in October. Davis can't be a candidate to succeed himself in a recall election. Feinstein has said she has no intention of running, because it would legitimize a recall process she disdains. Nevertheless, Rep. Calvin Dooley, a moderate Democrat from Fresno, and Orange County liberal Democrat Rep. Loretta Sanchez said Tuesday that Democrats must place an alternative to Davis on the ballot. In separate comments, they urged Feinstein to fill the role. In an interview Tuesday, Dooley said he went public with his concerns because he is afraid Democratic leaders are so focused on not legitimizing the recall that they are failing to consider what is best for the party and the state. ``We don't have much time here. Each hour that passes makes it more difficult for us to consider a different strategy,'' Dooley said, noting the deadline for gubernatorial candidates to declare their candidacy is Aug. 9. ``I don't want to wait until next week, three days before the Saturday filing deadline, and suddenly have a public-opinion poll come out and demonstrate Davis is weaker than we anticipated and we don't have the opportunity to rally around a stronger candidate.''
Peter Ragone, a spokesman for Californians Against the Costly Recall, the committee Davis has set up to fight the recall, said Dooley was ``wrong'' about Davis
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