Concerned about ``spoiler'' candidates on the left and right, Gov. Gray Davis and Arnold Schwarzenegger have moved quickly in the last few days to portray the race as a head-to-head contest _ a strategy some analysts say could backfire.

Schwarzenegger

The governor and the actor got some help Saturday from CNN's Larry King, who invited them onto his show to debate one-on-one. But while Davis's campaign quickly accepted, the Republican front-runner's campaign insisted he has no intention of debating the Democrat.

``Gray Davis is taking a page from the desperate candidates' handbook. He knows he's behind,'' said Todd Harris, a spokesman for the Schwarzenegger campaign. ``He knows he needs to do something to shake up the dynamics of this campaign.''

The Davis and Schwarzenegger campaigns are looking to draw attention away from challengers within their own parties _ Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, shown to be in a statistical dead heat with Schwarzenegger in recent polls, and Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock, running several percentage points behind.

Many Democrats, against Davis' wishes, had encouraged Bustamante to run as a safety candidate in case the governor loses the Oct. 7 recall vote. But some fear that Bustamante's candidacy could lead more people to vote yes on the recall and hand the governor's office to the Republicans. If a majority of California voters decide to oust Davis, whichever replacement candidate gets the most votes becomes governor.

Larry King

Bustamante parried questions Saturday about whether he was damaging the Democrats' chances of surviving the recall.

``Every speech I've ever done, every interview I've ever had, my commercials, all say 'no on the recall,' and we're going to keep doing that,'' Bustamante said, adding that he still hopes Davis will campaign with him and even endorse him.

That's not going to happen, the governor's advisers say. They believe they need to change the minds of about 10 percent of registered Democrats now inclined to vote yes on the recall.

To do that, they say, they must convince voters Davis is the only viable Democratic option and keep the focus on Schwarzenegger. On Friday the Davis campaign aired its first attack ad, accusing the actor of getting his facts wrong, lacking experience and repeatedly failing to vote.

Schwarzenegger, who has aired ads attacking the governor for a week, has not personally called on McClintock to step down, but prominent Republicans who recently endorsed the action star urged the conservative legislator to do so.

McClintock has repeatedly rebuffed Republican entreaties to drop out rather than split the Republican vote.

``I would not be in this race if I did not believe I could win,'' McClintock said Friday. ``I'm the one moving up and gaining very rapidly, from what I've been told.''

Analysts say the two-man-show strategy could anger voters on both sides.

``When it comes to the voter and it comes to the average California spectator, it signifies arrogance,'' said K.B. Forbes, a Republican strategist. ``It will provoke people to run away from Schwarzenegger, and Davis had the same problem in the last election because of his arrogance in ignoring the grassroots.''

Gale Kaufman, a Democratic consultant, agreed.

``This is not a two-man race,'' she said. ``Bustamante is still very much a force on the Democratic side, as is McClintock on the Republican side. What Schwarzenegger and Davis are doing is extremely risky.''

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