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The hedging is probably due in part to the nature of the California recall ballot. In this case voters would be asked if Davis should be recalled or not and then on the same ballot allowed to choose a replacement from a list of candidates. No Democrat will want to appear on the ballot if he thinks Davis has any chance to hold on and in effect win re-election at their expense.

Another Democrat seriously considering a run is former White House Chief of Staff and congressman Leon Panetta. "He could easily step in and raise the money for a campaign within two weeks of announcing," said a state Democratic Party official. "He's been out of politics for more than two years now, but the machine, while it's been in the garage a while, is gassed up and ready to go."

Panetta most likely would not run were Feinstein to enter the race. Feinstein's decision to go ahead most likely rests in the hands of Republicans, about whom there are growing doubts. "Davis's negative material on [recall activist Rep. Darrell] Issa isn't having as powerful an effect as we thought it would," says a state Republican Party staffer. "But at the same time polling numbers are flattening out for [rumored favorite Arnold] Schwarzenegger and Issa both."

If it appears unlikely that either man can win a plurality, look for Feinstein to jump into the fray for a position she has always coveted.

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