Editing Gray Davis (section)

===Recall election===
{{Main|2003 California gubernatorial recall election}}

In July 2003, a sufficient number of citizen signatures were collected for a [[recall election]]. The initial drive for the recall was fueled by funds from the personal fortune of [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Rep.]] [[Darrell Issa]], a Republican who originally hoped to replace Davis himself. The 2003 California recall special election was the goal of the "Dump Davis" campaign and constituted the first gubernatorial recall in Californian history and only the second in U.S. history. Later, [[2012 Wisconsin gubernatorial recall election|the unsuccessful recall]] of [[Scott Walker (politician)|Scott Walker]] of [[Wisconsin]] in 2012 would be the third and the [[2021 California gubernatorial recall election]] of [[Gavin Newsom]] would be the fourth in September 2021.

Early in the runup to the recall election, Davis called the recall election an "insult" to the eight million voters who had voted in the 2002 gubernatorial election. The Davis campaign tried to run against the recall Yes/No vote instead of against the candidates that were trying to replace him. Davis tried to depict the recall as a $66 million waste of money that could allow a candidate with a very small percentage of the vote to become Governor—potentially someone who was very liberal or conservative as there are no primaries in a recall election. Davis tried to run "outside the recall circus" and to make himself appear gubernatorial and hard at work for California, and who had made improvements to education and healthcare.<ref name="Circus"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0310/05/lkl.00.html |title=Interview With California Governor Gray Davis, Wife Sharon Davis |publisher=CNN |date=2003-10-05 |access-date=2010-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829173444/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0310/05/lkl.00.html |archive-date=2014-08-29 |url-status=live }}</ref> Early August polls showed that over 50% supported the recall.<ref name="Circus"/>

In September 2003, Davis conceded that he had lost touch with the voters and added that he was holding numerous townhall meetings in an effort to address the problem.<ref name="Concedes">[http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Davis-concedes-he-had-lost-touch-with-voters-2588130.php Davis concedes he had lost touch with voters] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521171922/http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Davis-concedes-he-had-lost-touch-with-voters-2588130.php |date=2013-05-21 }} by Salladay, Robert & Coile, Zachary. The San Francisco Chronicle. Thursday, September 18, 2003. Retrieved July 1, 2012.</ref> Poll numbers in September showed a 3% drop in the number of California voters who were planning to vote yes on the recall.<ref name="Mid">Chorneau, Tom. "Campaign midpoint offers Davis last chance." Associated Press State & Local Wire. Tuesday, September 9, 2003. Copyright 2003 Associated Press. Accessed on LexisNexis on August 11, 2007.</ref> According to some analysts and campaign aides, Davis's town hall meetings and conversations with voters were softening his image.<ref name="Mid"/> Many political insiders remarked that Davis had made several comebacks and that he should not be counted out of the race despite poll numbers that showed over 50% planning to vote yes on the recall.<ref name="survival"/><ref name="Circus"/><ref name="Mid"/>

[[File:Gray Davis Terminated.jpg|right|thumb|Headlines of Gray Davis's defeat in [[UC Berkeley]]'s newspaper, the ''[[Daily Californian]]''. The paper's headlines read "Davis Terminated", a reference to one of then governor-elect [[Arnold Schwarzenegger|Arnold Schwarzenegger's]] movie characters, The Terminator.]]

During the recall, Davis blamed some of the state's problems on his predecessor, Pete Wilson.<ref name="Defends">Chorneau, Tom. "Davis defends job and says he'll stay in touch with the people." Associated Press State & Local Wire. Wednesday, September 3, 2003. Copyright 2003 Associated Press. Accessed on LexisNexis on August 11, 2007.</ref> Davis claimed that he would have rather raised taxes on the upper tax brackets instead of restoring vehicle registration fees and college student tuition.<ref name="Defends"/>

Davis called the recall a right-wing effort to rewrite history after having lost the election during the previous year.<ref name="Defends"/> In a 19-minute campaign address that was broadcast statewide, Davis called the recall effort a "right-wing power grab" by Republicans. He blamed Republicans in the legislature and in Washington for many of the state's problems, while accepting some responsibility for those problems.<ref>{{cite news |first1=Carla |last1=Marinucci |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/08/20/MN207450.DTL |title=Contentious Davis blasts GOP 'power grab' Pivotal Address: Governor appeals to his base |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=2003-08-20 |access-date=2010-08-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090123033052/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2003%2F08%2F20%2FMN207450.DTL |archive-date=2009-01-23 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{cquote|"It's like the Oakland Raiders saying to Tampa Bay, 'We know you beat us, but we want to play the Super Bowl again,{{'"}} said Davis about the recall.<ref name="Defends"/>}}

On October 7, 2003, Davis was recalled. The recall was supported by 55.4% of voters. Republican [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] was elected to replace Davis as governor. The [[San Francisco Bay Area|Bay Area]] and [[Los Angeles County]] were the only regions in California to vote "no" on the recall. Davis is the second governor in the history of the United States to have been recalled; the first was [[Lynn Frazier]] of [[North Dakota]] in [[1921 North Dakota gubernatorial recall election|1921]].<ref name="Recalled">{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/10/08/MN52907.DTL |title=Schwarzenegger leads voter revolt Davis recalled; turnout is huge Victory margin provides mandate |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=2003-10-08 |access-date=2010-08-14 |first1=Carla |last1=Marinucci |first2=John |last2=Wildermuth |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917074852/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fchronicle%2Farchive%2F2003%2F10%2F08%2FMN52907.DTL |archive-date=2011-09-17 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On the night of the recall, Davis conceded defeat and thanked California for having elected him in five statewide elections. Davis mentioned what he defined as the accomplishments of his administration such as improvements in education, environmental protection, and health insurance for children.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/08/davis.speech/index.html Davis in defeat: 'We'll have better nights to come'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071204040748/http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/10/08/davis.speech/index.html |date=2007-12-04 }} Concession speech transcript.</ref> Davis said he would help Schwarzenegger in the transition and he later urged his staff to do the same.<ref>[http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/recall/20031010-9999_1n10davis.html Davis extols accomplishments, praises aides] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725005432/http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/recall/20031010-9999_1n10davis.html |date=2008-07-25 }}.</ref> His last day in office was November 17, 2003.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rabin |first1=Jeffrey L. |title=Davis' Pension: About $105,000 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-17-me-pension17-story.html |access-date=August 27, 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=November 17, 2003}}</ref>