Next up for California — a Boxer rebellion?

Craig Harrison, a friend from California, writes to remind me that Schwarzenegger “beat” Davis straight-up. That is, more people voted for Arnold in his race than voted not to recall Davis. Some Democrats had argued, that Arnold’s election would not be legitimate unless he outpolled the incumbent. Now, even this lame notion can no longer be floated.
Craig also suggests that yesterday’s results represent “bad news for Barbara Boxer. She has been too liberal even for California, and these results might encourage some high profile competition. She’s been tarred with ties to the Indian gaming industry, which is in very bad odor now.” It does seem that Boxer is vulnerable, but probably only if she faces a centrist Republican. It is possible that, in the context of California’s internal crisis, a strong conservative could have beaten Davis and/or Bustamante head-to-head for Governor. But I’m guessing that Boxer wouldn’t suffer a similar fate, since her job is to vote on national issues (as to which Californians continue to hold liberal views), not to put California back on track.

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