So do you suppose character does count after all in California?
Even the Los Angeles Times new "porno column" couldn't save Gary?
Seems like Tabloids Gary made where he attained celebrity status - now
like two edged sword? That murder and missing bodies of "the little
people" do count?
So now Gary is free like wild gypsy to ride with Hells Angels and chase
women and who the hell will care? Let us say, the Truth did set him
free.
OSaba
Cond
Condit loses seat in Congress Simon beats Riordan in GOP
gubernatorial contest Rep. Gary Condit waves off the news media
before voting in Ceres, Calif., Tuesday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES, March 5 — Falling victim to scandal and a former aide,
Gary Condit was trounced in the Democratic congressional primary Tuesday
while conservative businessman Bill Simon upset the moderate former
mayor of Los Angeles to win the GOP gubernatorial nomination.
Condit had campaigned like never before in a reconfigured district
in which 40 percent of the voters had never seen his name on a ballot.
SIMON, A political newcomer, rocketed from obscurity in
the campaign's final weeks to overtake Richard Riordan, long considered
a shoo-in to face Gov. Gray Davis in November. Davis, running nearly
unopposed, easily won the Democratic nomination as nearly two-thirds of
California's voters didn't cast ballots.
"It's really great to have come through a long campaign
and have a chance to get our message out," Simon said. "Now we're just
going to sit back and let the people tell us what they want us to do."
'OUT OF STEP'
Simon had 501,643 votes, or 49 percent, with 49 percent
of precincts reporting. Riordan had 300,722 votes, or 29 percent; and
Secretary of State Bill Jones had 207,258 votes, or 20 percent.
The governor fired the first shots in what aides said
will be a campaign to paint Simon as too conservative for California.
"Bill Simon is a true-blue, think-tank conservative,"
Davis said in his victory speech. "I believe many of his idea are out of
step and out of touch with most Californians."
After a congressional campaign overshadowed by the
Chandra Levy scandal, Dennis Cardoza handily beat Condit, his mentor and
former friend. With 85 percent of precincts reporting, Cardoza had
26,772 votes, or 56 percent. Condit had 17,823 votes, or 37 percent.
Four other candidates split the rest.
"I'm ecstatic, this is exactly what I expected," Cardoza
said.
Condit's bid to keep the central California seat he held
for 13 years was dominated by the disappearance of Levy, the 24-year-old
Washington intern last seen April 30.
Condit, 53, admitted he had an affair with Levy,
according to Washington police sources. But they have said he is not a
suspect in her disappearance.
'A GREAT OPPORTUNITY'
"It's been a great opportunity to be in public service,"
Condit said in a brief appearance outside his home late Tuesday, family
and friends gathered behind him. "I'll never forget it."
Condit had campaigned like never before in a reconfigured
district in which 40 percent of the voters had never seen his name on a
ballot.
He discussed issues at coffee shops, knocked on doors and
shook just about any hand that reached out to him. But Cardoza, 42,
wrested cash and endorsements from former Condit supporters —
including prominent Democrats.
The gubernatorial contest had taken a startling turn in
recent weeks as Simon transformed a 30-point deficit in polls into a
lead over Riordan, who had been considered a sure thing for the
nomination.
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Despite the hotly contested primary, election officials
said only 36 percent of California's registered voters cast ballots —
the second-worst turnout in history. The 1994 primary in which Gov. Pete
Wilson was re-elected attracted 35 percent.
Riordan, 71, ran partly at the urging of a White House
eager for Republicans to retake California. But he alienated the
conservative voters who make up the Republican Party's base by
supporting abortion rights, gun control and gay rights.
That gave an opening to the anti-abortion Simon, a
50-year-old investor and political novice with a GOP pedigree. His
father, William E. Simon, was treasury secretary under Presidents Nixon
and Ford.
$10 MILLION IN ATTACK ADS
Riordan also plummeted in the polls as Davis poured some
$10 million into an unprecedented barrage of attack ads against him.
Minutes after polls closed, Riordan said his top priority
was to beat Davis in the fall. "I will work with whoever the nominee is
to get rid of Gray Davis and get some real leadership in California," he
said.
Meanwhile, in a newly created Los Angeles County
congressional district, Democrat Linda Sanchez was leading in her bid to
join her sister Rep. Loretta Sanchez in the House. If elected, they
would be the first sisters to serve in Congress.
In other ballot contests, voters defeated an initiative
to soften the state's term limits law.
Fineman on Bush's California calculation
© 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This
material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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