Davis Rules Out Presidential Bid in 2004

Gov. Gray Davis flatly ruled out Tuesday a race for the presidency in 2004, citing California’s budget problems and his desire to “leave this state better off than I found it.”

Davis previously had seemed to leave the door open to a presidential bid by avoiding a declaration that he wouldn’t be a candidate in 2004.

But under friendly questioning by political commentators Pat Buchanan and Bill Press on MSNBC, Davis explicitly took his name out of contention for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Press, who served with Davis in the administration of Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown during the late 1970s, noted the wide-open field for the Democratic nomination and asked the governor if he was going to run.

“No, I’m not going to run, Bill,” Davis said. “I think you’re just trying to make my 79-year-old mother happy.”

Davis added: “I’m not running. As you can tell from our earlier discussion [about the budget], we have our hands full in California and I want to leave this state better off than I found it.”

“Is that a ‘never,’ Pat, you think?” Press said.

That prompted Buchanan to push Davis further: “Was that a Sherman, governor?” -- a reference to the unequivocal statement by former Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman when he took his name out of consideration in a post-Civil War presidential campaign.

“That was a Sherman in 2004,” Davis said.

Davis wasn’t asked about his availability as a vice presidential running mate for the eventual Democratic nominee.

Just last month, a day after securing another four years as governor with a narrow victory over Republican challenger Bill Simon Jr., Davis seemed to keep his presidential options open. He responded to a question about his presidential plans by saying: “All I’m going say is I have one goal, which is to leave California a better place. I’m devoting my energies to that.”

In reaching his decision not to run, Davis may have been influenced by the unhappy experiences of two contemporaries: Brown and former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, both of whom failed in attempts to run for president while serving as California governor.

Davis may also have been influenced by his sagging support among California voters. In a Times election exit poll, 60% of voters said they had an unfavorable impression of Davis and 61% disapproved of his job performance.

Leading Democrats and political strategists said Davis made the right call by choosing to focus his energies on his second term as governor -- especially with the state facing a budget crisis of historic proportions.

“This is the worst fiscal crisis this state has ever experienced in modern times,” said Assembly Speaker Herb Wesson (D-Culver City). “I’m glad to hear the governor acknowledge the importance of this crisis and his commitment to stay with California to see us through this crisis.”

Democratic political consultant Darry Sragow said Davis was wise to take a pass on a 2004 presidential race.

“He’s got his hands full in California,” Sragow said. “Any suggestion that he was looking at anything other than solving our immediate problems would have been greeted rather unkindly by the voters and probably the folks he has to work with in Sacramento.”

How Davis performs in the struggle to cope with a budget shortfall projected at more than $21 billion could determine his future viability as a presidential candidate.

“If he solves the problems in California, then he deserves a good look” as a Democratic presidential candidate in 2008, Sragow said.

Davis’ chief political advisor, Garry South, was out of the country and unavailable for comment.