Sunday, October 23, 2005

Governor's Special Election Campaign Takes Schwarzenegger Ads off the Air

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's special election campaign said it was withdrawing a television advertisement that featured the governor appealing to voters to support his slate of ballot initiatives.

The move Saturday to drop Schwarzenegger from the airwaves came at a critical time - just 17 days before the Nov. 8 election.

His campaign dismissed the notion that the ad - the only one featuring the governor - was pulled because of Schwarzenegger's falling approval ratings. Instead, they said TV ads are being rotated as part of a plan to educate voters about specific ballot measures.

Still, some observers said Schwarzenegger's ability to sell his ballot agenda might be limited because polls show he has the approval of only about 35 percent of voters.

"An overwhelming majority of voters think this special election is unnecessary and an overwhelming number of voters say they will not vote for Schwarzenegger again. Let's face it, he's unpopular," said Larry Gerston, a political scientist from San Jose State University.

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