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Democratic unity on recall shatters Rep. Calvin Dooley, D-Hanford (Kings County), said a Feinstein candidacy would be "in the interests of the state . . . (and) in the interests of the party," while Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Garden Grove, went even further -- suggesting she might run if Feinstein doesn't. "It's a very high-risk strategy to place all your chips on a bet to defeat the recall, and . . . to rely on a slash-and-burn campaign that will further poison the political environment in California," Dooley said in a telephone interview from his home district Tuesday. "And if Davis succeeds, he's going to emerge as a wounded leader." Sanchez, one of the state's most prominent Latino politicians, was in San Francisco Tuesday, and appeared to be seriously considering a campaign of her own. "We need to have a strong Democrat on the ballot. And the strongest would be Dianne . . . otherwise, I'll have to," she said in an interview. "Stay tuned." But when pressed, Sanchez would say only that she is not ruling out putting her name on the ballot as a Democrat. The comments by Dooley and Sanchez create a problem for Davis, representing the first official defections from the widely expressed view that Democrats should pool their resources to fight the recall -- and stand together behind the embattled governor. Feinstein -- who defeated a recall effort while mayor of San Francisco -- has publicly opposed the effort against Davis. Feinstein's office said Tuesday the Democratic senator would have no additional comment on the matter. But Dooley, a moderate Democrat who has served seven terms in the House, said there is "a significant degree of apprehension among my Democratic colleagues" about the current strategy to keep all major Democrats off the ballot and put party energy into fighting the recall. "If we really look at what is in the interests of the state of California, it is to have the strongest person possible on the ballot," he said. Dooley called a campaign by Feinstein "not only in the interests of the state -- it's in the interests of the Democratic Party." Sanchez called it "an unfair recall," and said Democrats "stand behind Gray. We want him to beat it . . . but there are people who believe we need to have insurance." 10 DAYS LEFT TO FILE With 10 days to file as a replacement candidate for the Oct. 7 recall election, 57 people have already taken out application papers, officials said. But as the list of potential challengers grows, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger -- a Republican -- again held off making any formal announcement on a potential candidacy and former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan huddled with his advisers to discuss whether he should enter the race. Sources said Riordan, who lost a bid for the GOP nomination for governor last March to businessman Bill Simon, is fully prepared to become a candidate if Schwarzenegger doesn't. Riordan's spokeswoman Lisa Wolf said the mayor was "engaged in the process of making (a decision), and hasn't yet." But sources said the former Los Angeles mayor, at his Brentwood home, was putting together a political team with the help of Noelia Rodriguez, his former aide and spokeswoman during his tenure as mayor -- and now spokeswoman for first lady Laura Bush.
Mindy Tucker, a Republican Party spokeswoman, made clear that Rodriguez
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