Saying the recall election against Gov. Gray Davis has "too much sex appeal" to ignore, the head of the California Broadcasters Association announced plans Thursday for a 90-minute debate in Sacramento among top contenders on the Oct. 7 replacement ballot.

"This isn't just a Hollywood election, a California election, an American election," said association President Stan Statham. "People are looking at this internationally. This election has too much sex appeal to pass up."

The star attraction and early front-runner in polls, Republican movie actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, left his participation up in the air, however.

"We've received numerous debate requests," said spokesman Sean Walsh. "We'll determine which requests make the most sense and then move forward."
Other major candidates planned to participate, including Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante; Republicans Bill Simon, Tom McClintock and Peter Ueberroth; independent Arianna Huffington; and Peter Camejo of the Green Party.

The Sept. 17 debate, to be held at California State University, Sacramento, will be offered for live broadcast or taped showing to 140 television outlets and 842 radio stations across California. It was not immediately clear how many stations would carry the debate in its entirety.

Of the 135 candidates whose names will appear on the Oct. 7 ballot, only the top six, as determined by nonpartisan polls in the coming weeks, will be invited to participate in the CBA debate. If any choose not to participate, Statham said, an empty chair will be set out and viewers will be told which candidate is absent.

Statham apologized in advance to the candidates who will not be invited but said it was not feasible to include everyone. At least one who didn't expect to make the cut didn't mind. Pornographic actress Mary Carey said she's had so much media interest that one debate seems irrelevant. She's scheduled to tape a debate on the E! entertainment channel next week, opposite former child actor Gary Coleman. "I guarantee you more people will watch that debate than some of the more serious ones," she said.

The format for the CBA debate calls for candidates to go up against one another, based on questions submitted by California voters via videotape and given to the candidates in advance.

The governor will not participate in the debate because the question of whether to recall him is separate on the ballot from the question of who should replace him. Instead, Davis will be invited to make a case for voters to retain him during a separate, 30-minute program.

In addition to the broadcasters, other news and civic organizations are considering debates. Candidates said they had been contacted in recent days by representatives of ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, newspapers and the Greenlining Institute.

Simon consultant Wayne Johnson said candidates are most eager to debate Schwarzenegger, a first-time candidate who has relied on his celebrity to boost his appeal with voters.

The actor this week announced the creation of an "economic recovery council" to be led by investor Warren Buffett. On Thursday, the campaign announced George Shultz, a former treasury secretary and secretary of state, would be co-chairman of the council.

Schwarzenegger has yet to put forth his own substantive positions on issues or agree to interviews with political reporters.

"Irrespective of what he or his handlers may think, he's going to have to play by the rules," Johnson said.

Asked whether Schwarzenegger will participate in at least one major televised debate, his spokesman Walsh said, "We fully expect to debate."