I mentioned previously that Riordan was not a lock for the Republican nomination. Partly because the “he’s the only Republican who can beat Davis” argument falls kind of flat when Bill Simon is leading Davis by two points in the Field Poll. When an incumbent is behind to a total political unknown, it’s pretty bad news for him.

My money was previously already on Simon for the nomination. With Simon’s surge, particularly against Davis, the only reason that real Republicans might have had to vote for Riordan has evaporated.

Now I think Simon’s got a shot at following in Reagan’s footsteps and beating an incumbent Democratic governor as well. And what a breath of fresh air he’d be–a non-politician.