LOS ANGELES - The scramble to determine who will lead California went down to the wire today as actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger denied last-minute sexual harassment allegations and Gov. Gray Davis pleaded with citizens to give him another chance.

Voters were asked to choose the ending of a saga that has captivated the nation for months: whether Davis becomes the nation's second governor to be recalled, and if so, who among a field of 135 candidates should replace him.

Recent polls suggested that a majority of voters favored dumping the governor - who was elected to a second term less than a year ago - while Schwarzenegger emerged as the leading replacement candidate.

On CBS' "The Early Show" today, both state party leaders sounded confident.

"The governor is going to be recalled and Arnold will win the second question and be elected governor," GOP Chairman Duf Sundheim said. "But, really, it's still in the hands of the people; it's up to them to get out and vote."

Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres said the predicted high turnout "could be the definite advantage for the governor. ... I think the lieutenant governor (Cruz Bustamante) is closing in on the second part of the ballot, so we may even have a double victory here."

The chaotic gubernatorial campaign, which survived a handful of legal challenges after a Republican-led effort brought it to the ballot, was without parallel in the Golden State. The unpopular governor was blamed for myriad problems and an action hero grabbed much of the spotlight from candidates that included a porn marketer, a sumo wrestler, a stripper and two experienced politicians.

Bustamante, the only prominent Democrat on the ballot, and Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock remained the only other candidates polling in double digits. But their campaigns were eclipsed in recent weeks by the target of the recall and the former Mr. Universe.

Schwarzenegger's poll numbers got a bounce after a lively Sept. 24 debate that brought together all the top candidates for the first and only time. Although the questions had been made available to the candidates before the forum, analysts said Schwarzenegger accomplished what he needed to by appearing confident and in command of issues.

With allegations dogging him that he had groped and sexually harassed as many as 16 women over the last three decades, Schwarzenegger on Monday marshaled the support of his wife, Maria Shriver, and mother-in-law, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and surrounded himself with women-friendly messages.

Scores of female supporters stood behind him at events, holding signs proclaiming "Remarkable Women Join Arnold." As he took the stage at one event, the actor smiled broadly and said, "To all the incredible women, thank you."

Davis reached out to his core of labor support, marching in San Francisco with hundreds of firefighters, mostly clad in blue "No Recall" T-shirts. Many in the crowd were out-of-state residents attending a safety conference.

"If you give me the chance to finish my term, I will do it with all the passion, all the humanity I can muster because my goal is to make your life better," Davis told the crowd chanting "No recall! No Recall!"