Schwarzenegger Casts Vote For Long-Shot GOP Candidate In US Senate Race
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced on social media Monday that he voted for Duf Sundheim in the race to fill the U.S. Senate seat that will be vacated by retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer.
Schwarzenegger said he voted by mail in advance of the June 7 primary, choosing Sundheim among the 34 candidates vying for Boxer's seat.
By any estimate, Sundheim is a long-shot candidate.
The most likely outcome from the primary will be a November rematch between two Democrats -- another reminder of the waning influence of Republicans in the nation's most populous state.
What's more, the GOP vote is likely to be splintered.
Sundheim, a lawyer and former state Republican Party chairman, was the pick of just 3 percent of likely voters in a recent Public Policy Institute of California poll. Tom Del Beccaro, another lawyer and former GOP leader and the leading Republican in the survey, notched just 8 percent.
Democrats are strongly favored to hold the seat in a state where the party controls every statewide office and both chambers of the Legislature. Democrats also hold a nearly 2.8 million voter-registration edge over the GOP in California.
The PPIC poll found California Attorney General Kamala with 27 percent support and fellow Democrat, Rep. Loretta Sanchez, at 19 percent. Independent polling also confirmed that Harris and Sanchez are positioned for a 1-2 finish that would propel the rivals to a one-party runoff in November.
In California, the top two vote-getters advance, regardless of party.
On his website, Sundheim lists his vision for the state in bullet points:
"I see a New California ....
- Where we stop wasting money on the High Speed Rail and actually solve our water problem
- Where we put an end to Common Core and give our teachers and local officials the power they need to educate our children
- Where the hard working men and women of this state can find better paying job
- Where we can help our future of this state by getting housing and college costs under control."
You'd have to go back nearly three decades to find a Republican who was elected to the U.S. Senate from California — Pete Wilson, in 1988.
Sundheim nevertheless reveled in Schwarzenegger's endorsement, posting a 'thank you' Tweet Monday morning.
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