Riordan, Feinstein at center of parties' recall buzz

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STRATEGIES: EX-L.A. MAYOR SEEN AS TOP GOP HOPE; WORRIED DEMOCRATS CALL SENATOR A GOOD BACKUP
By Mary Anne Ostrom and Laura Kurtzman
Mercury News

Republicans spent Tuesday waiting for confirmation from former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan that he intends to enter the recall election, while two congressional Democrats from California called for U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein to put her name up as a possible replacement for Gov. Gray Davis.

Their plea for Feinstein's entry signaled a significant break in Democratic unity.

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Riordan has told Johnson and a newspaper columnist that if Feinstein, a popular Democrat, decides to get in the race, he will not run.

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Nevertheless, Rep. Calvin Dooley, a moderate Democrat from Fresno, and Orange County liberal Democrat Rep. Loretta Sanchez said Tuesday that Democrats must place an alternative to Davis on the ballot. In separate comments, they urged Feinstein to fill the role.

more...http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/recall/6416636.htm