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Kathryn Jean Lopez: Why do you want to be the next governor of California? Bill Simon: There's only one reason and one reason alone: I am truly concerned about the direction our state is taking, and I know I can help. We face so many problems, including a severe energy crisis, an ailing economy, and failing schools. I know with my experience as a charity leader, federal prosecutor under Giuliani, and family businessman, I can bring real solutions to California.
Lopez: Do you ever wish you hadn't bothered running? The $40 million spent by Gray Davis on negative ads — the attacks on your business and other activities — is it worth it? Simon: Obviously, I don't enjoy the attacks, but I can take them. What I can't take is what Gray Davis is doing to California, and that's why I don't for a second regret getting into this race. Lopez: Why did Gray Davis recently break his vow to only run positive ads for the rest of the election? Simon: The fact is my campaign has Gray Davis on the run. After spending tens of millions of dollars, he is still polling at 42 percent. His record can't be defended and sure can't be explained. Gray Davis can't convince voters he has been a good governor, and he knows the best he can hope to do is distort my record in hopes of scaring voters from the polls. Lopez: Is it possible to balance the CA budget in the next two years without raising taxes? Simon: When the budget was $13 billion in the hole, I released a detailed plan to balance the budget. Gray Davis ignored it though, and now California is faced with a record $24 billion deficit. The fact is our state treasury is empty, and his campaign war chest is full. And if we have another $20 billion budget deficit as I have predicted, Gray Davis will likely raise taxes by over $10 billion, the largest tax increase in our history. The bottom line is I'm not going to raise taxes, and I won't sign my name to a budget full of Enron style accounting tricks. Lopez: What's the single worst thing Gray Davis has done as governor? Simon: It's unfortunate that there are so many options to pick from. California has so many problems. As I have said, we have energy crisis which is still with us, a recession which has left a million unemployed, and a crisis in our schools which is leaving our kids unprepared to face the problems of the 21st century. These are all important in their own right, and they all raise serious questions about Gray Davis's ability to lead. Lopez: Where has the Republican-party leadership been during your race? Are you satisfied with the help they've offered? Simon: President Bush has been wonderful. He has traveled to California several times to help my campaign, and has done more fundraisers for us than any other candidate except for his brother. His wife Laura was even gracious enough to campaign for me in June, and we have also been joined by several different cabinet secretaries, including, Christie Todd Whitman and Mel Martinez. Lopez: Tom Davis, now famously, attacked your campaign. What do you think of his comments? Simon: As my friend and former colleague Rudy Giuliani said at a recent event with me, every campaign has its problems. Things don't always work out, and there are things we could have done differently. The fact is though, Californians are not better off than they were four years ago. They have endured rolling blackouts, a severe economic crisis, and schools which are graduating kids who can't even read the words on their diplomas. These are the issues that matter to California, and these are the issues that are going to decide the election. Lopez: Do you expect to win? Simon: Yes, without a doubt. Our internal tracking, as well as several other private polls, show us within a couple points of Gray Davis. There are still a large amount of undecided voters, and after four years of Davis, he is still hovering in the low forties. I am confident, in the last few days of this election, these voters will flock to me, because I have real solutions for our real problems. And together, we will renew the California dream for every person, proud and privileged to live in our great state.
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