With little more than a week to go before the California recall election, a new poll has Gov. Gray Davis on the ropes and Arnold Schwarzenegger dominating the field of possible replacements.
According to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released today, 63 percent of probable voters now favor ousting the Democrat governor, compared to 35 percent who want him to stay in office.
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Republican candidate Schwarzenegger gained the most support among survey respondents, polling at 40 percent. Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante earned 25 percent and 18 percent voted for Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock.
Among the also-rans, Green Party candidate Peter Camejo got the nod from 5 percent of respondents and syndicated columnist and independent candidate Arianna Huffington earned 2 percent.
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The poll of 787 registered voters, conducted over three days from Thursday through yesterday, comes on the heels of key endorsements for Schwarzenegger from former Republican rival Bill Simon and recall pioneer and funder Rep. Darrell Issa.
Issa and Republican leaders have been pressuring McClintock to drop out of the race to avoid the scenario of a divided Republican vote allowing Democrat front-runner Bustamante to gain more votes and win the election.
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McClintock remains dogged in his pursuit of the governor's office.
Today's poll findings, which have a margin of error of 4 percent, suggest Schwarzenegger can overcome the split Republican vote and best Bustamante.
"In every poll you see Arnold getting somewhere between 5 and 15 points [more than Davis]," Simon told Fox News. "I believe the polls are saying quite clearly that Davis will be recalled on Oct. 7."
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Schwarzenegger picks up 2 key GOP endorsements
