US: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's one-year quest for political redemption faced a final judgment yesterday as California voters cast ballots in the race for governor and decided whether to launch the state's most ambitious rebuilding plan in decades.
From Orange County to San Francisco Bay, the Republican governor and his Democratic challenger, state treasurer Phil Angelides, made closing appeals for support on Monday, as Schwarzenegger also pushed for billions of dollars in bonds to build and repair roads, schools and levees.
With 13 statewide propositions up for a vote, along with hundreds of candidates in races around the state, a record- breaking political ad blitz hit its peak on Monday with back-to- back TV commercials.
Showering voters with conflicting advice were oil and tobacco companies, trade unions, hospitals, home builders, environmentalists and candidates.
For Republicans, the main question is whether Schwarzenegger's political strength can carry his party's other candidates to victory, helping the Republicans isolate California from a national election tide that favours Democrats. For Democrats, the big unknown is whether the troubled candidacy of Angelides threatens to depress turnout of the party's voters, harming its other statewide candidates.
Dismissing Schwarzenegger's election-year breach with fellow Republicans as a "head fake" and pledging to do a better job than Schwarzenegger on schools, healthcare and the environment, the underdog Democrat said he would pull off the "biggest upset in California political history". He conceded however that he faced a "steep mountain".
Appearing confident of victory, Schwarzenegger limited himself to talk radio and two low-key campaign stops in Los Angeles and Irvine, where he plugged the public works bonds on today's ballot.
At a call centre, he urged a caller to support the bonds but reject other measures that would increase oil, tobacco and corporate taxes to raise money for alternative energy, healthcare and political campaigns.
"Definitely 'no' on all the propositions that will raise taxes," said Schwarzenegger, whose TV ads have pounded Angelides for supporting higher taxes.
Dominating the airwaves were clashing ads over ballot measures - many of them on proposition 87, a plan to tax oil companies to raise money for alternative energy.
One of the oil industry's final "no" ads on 87 featured a firefighter arguing against it, while the "yes" campaign ran an ad featuring President Clinton urging approval. The "yes" on 87 group also showcased its latest Hollywood supporter at a Los Angeles event with mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: actor Brad Pitt. The state's 53 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs, although few incumbents face serious challenge.