NONE OF THE ABOVE:

California puzzle (Robert Novak, 10/21/02, Town Hall)

The nightly tracking poll taken for the California Teachers Association (CTA), made available to Republicans Friday morning, was startling. Thursday night's telephone interviews about the race for governor showed beleaguered Republican candidate Bill Simon leading DemocraticGov. Gray Davis 34.2 percent to 33.7 percent. The three-day tracking roll gave Davis a mere 2.7 percentage point lead.

Those numbers collide with Democratic surveys that show a double-digit lead for Davis. They also force a decision on George W. Bush that must be made instantly. Should he pay a final one-day visit to San Diego, perhaps next Monday, to affirm Simon as the Republican Party's California standard-bearer in good standing? Or should he not risk the damage to his prestige in the Golden State that could result from association with a drubbing?

The Simon lead isn't even the real story here. What is remarkable, in fact it may be unique, is that two weeks out from election day in a major media state there are still 32% undecided. Given the vagaries of polling, "Undecided" may even be winning. Has that ever happened before? Posted by Orrin Judd at October 21, 2002 8:21 AM