Huffington

FRANCISCO - A week before the election, independent candidate Arianna Huffington dropped out of the California recall race Tuesday, saying she aimed to prevent Arnold Schwarzenegger from becoming governor.

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Huffington's exit, announced on CNN's "Larry King Live," removes a similar voice to Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante's from the race, and leaves Bustamante as the Democrats' best hope of thwarting Schwarzenegger should Gov. Gray Davis (news - web sites) lose the recall vote.

"I'm pulling out and I'm going to concentrate all my time and energy in the next week working to defeat the recall because I realize that's the only way to defeat" the Republican actor-turned-candidate, Huffington said.

But Huffington declined to specifically endorse Bustamante, merely urging her supporters to "vote strategically" in an effort to stop a GOP takeover of California. She urged people to vote against the recall and then consider their options for...