LOS ANGELES (AP) Defeat came easy to the fringe candidates in
California's historic recall election.
A porn actress hosted a barbecue Tuesday night, a former BMW
salesman treated friends to free champagne and a pornographer in a
gold-plated wheelchair Larry Flynt spent the evening talking
and joking with reporters.
Other longshots amid the election's 135 contenders included
former ``Diff'rent Strokes'' child actor Gary Coleman, a sumo
wrestler, a guy whose gimmick was a bright blue cowboy hat, and
melon-smashing comic Gallagher.
All found themselves in the shadow of ``Terminator'' Arnold
Schwarzenegger, who bested the entire field including Democratic
Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante to win the governor's race.
The front runner among the also-rans was Flynt. With 98.8
percent of precincts reporting, he was in seventh place with 15,053
votes, or 0.3 percent, just ahead of Coleman's 12,488 votes or 0.2
percent.
Adult film actress Mary Carey was 10th with 9,756 votes, which
rounded off to 0.2 percent. Gallagher was 16th with 4,762 votes.
What did it take to enter the fray? A $3,500 filing fee and 65
voter signatures, or no fee and 10,000 signatures.
The two X-rated candidates, Carey, the star of ``New Wave
Hookers 7,'' and Hustler magazine publisher Flynt, were opposed to
the recall even though their names were on the ballot.
Then why run? ``I didn't think I was going to get elected,''
Flynt laughed. ``The price was right and it was a great platform
and I was able to get my views out,'' which included expanding
casino gaming.
``I had a lot of fun,'' he added.
Carey did win something Tuesday: a prize of $21,200 in the Game
Show Network's satiric ``Who Wants to Be Governor of California?''
contest. That's the maximum amount a company can donate to any one
candidate. She hosted a barbecue party Tuesday night at the
network's Culver City studio.
``I expected to have fun,'' Carey said of the election. ``I love
cameras and am getting in front of them without getting naked and
having sex.''
While she and a few others seemed to be in the race only for
giggles, a few dark horse candidates jumped in to advocate deeply
held principles.
Among the longshots with serious intentions were Jim
Vandeventer, a Republican former car salesman who supported
increased fiscal responsibility, environmental protection and legal
unions for gays.
He hosted a champagne bar at the La Meridien Hotel in Beverly
Hills, where supporters and a few other recall candidates gathered
to watch election results on television.
Vandeventer spent about $20,000 on his campaign. The defeat
party cost about $2,000, he said, provided no one caused damage to
the hotel facilities.
Sara Ann Hanlon, an interior designer and independent candidate
from Los Angeles, attended Vandeventer's party and said she ran
with no false expectations.
``I didn't think I'd be the first woman governor of the state of
California,'' she said. ``I had no delusions. I ran strictly to get
the message out: we the people need to be represented, not big
campaign contributors not special interests.''
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)