The governator
Action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger is the frontrunner in the prospective, upcoming California gubernatorial race, writes Anayat Durrani from Los Angeles
Hollywood actor Arnold Schwarzenegger may be up for the biggest role of his career. The Terminator series star has announced his bid to unseat California Governor Gray Davis and "clean up" the state capitol in Sacramento. Schwarzenegger, 56, announced his decision to run on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, which drew the show's second-highest rating of the year, according to Nielsen Media Research. Schwarzenegger's campaign for governor represents Hollywood's growing interest in the political scene. If elected as governor, Schwarzenegger would be following in the footsteps of actor/politician Ronald Reagan, who won the California's governor's race in 1966, and 14 years later became president of the United States. The former Mr Universe would also be taking a similar path as professional wrestler Jesse Ventura, who captured the Minnesota governorship in 1998.
California voters will decide 7 October whether to recall their Democratic governor, who was elected in 1998 and re-elected in November. If Davis is recalled, voters will then choose a replacement who needs only to win the most votes and will serve out the remaining three-and-a-half years of Davis's term.
Davis's opponents allege he has led the state into crippling debt, turning a budget surplus into a record $38 billion budget deficit. Voter dissatisfaction with Davis peaked with the state's 2000-2001 energy crisis, which was later followed by a tripling of the vehicle tax, a 30 per cent hike in college fees and looming pay cuts and layoffs of state employees. If Davis is replaced, he would be the nation's second governor to be recalled -- North Dakota voters ousted Lynn Frazier in 1921.
Since declaring himself as the top Republican candidate in the recall race, Schwarzenegger has portrayed himself as "a uniter, not a divider". He said he would make repairing the state's economy his top priority if elected.
"You have to overhaul the economic engine," Schwarzenegger said on NBC's Today Show. "You have to bring businesses back to California, because the more you bring businesses back to California, the more you bring in revenues."
Schwarzenegger has already received endorsements from former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, United States Representative David Dreier and former Representative Michael Huffington. He has also received backing from Representative Darrell Issa, the millionaire Republican who bankrolled the recall with $1.7 million of his own money.
Issa tearfully announced he would drop out of the race Thursday.
Washington has remained nearly silent on the issue. President George Bush called the recall process something for California voters to decide. "As I say, I am interested in the process," Bush said. "It is fascinating to see who is in and who is out." When asked about Schwarzenegger, Bush said, "I think he would be a good governor."
Political analysts have already described the California governor race as nothing more than the latest reality show that mixes politics with entertainment. Others have described the process as having a circus atmosphere that "could only be in California". More than 150 candidates will appear on the ballot to replace Davis as governor of the golden state. Those campaigning include a diverse list of candidates like Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, who described himself as a "smut peddler who cares".
Others include porn actress Marey Carey, Diff'rent Strokes TV star Gary Coleman, Los Angeles billboard pinup queen Angelyne, political pundit Arianna Huffington, California Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, and businessman Bill Simon, who lost to Davis last November.
Other lesser known candidates include a 100- year-old hospital volunteer, a discount cigarette chain owner, a bounty hunter, and an electrical engineer named Michael Jackson. Officials will announce on Wednesday the candidates who met all the qualifications and will actually appear on the ballot. Nearly 500 people expressed interest in running for governor of California. Potential governors needed to be US citizens and come up with $3,500 to qualify, along with 65 signatures. The fee could be waived if 10,000 signatures were submitted. The deadline was Saturday.
Schwarzenegger was born in Styria, Austria and became a US citizen in 1983. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Superior in 1979.
Schwarzenegger is married to NBC News correspondent Maria Shriver, a niece of John F Kennedy. Shriver, a contributing anchor to NBC News' Dateline, has received an unpaid leave of absence until the campaign is over. Since Schwarzenegger's announcement to run, Shriver has been publicly supportive of her husband's ambitions to become governor of California. "He will represent Democrats, independents and Republicans, men and women all across this state," Shriver told reporters in front of the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder's office in Norwalk on Saturday. "I think he is a born leader."
Money is not an issue when it comes to Schwarzenegger's campaign for governor. The star reportedly makes $20 million a movie and has said he would use his own money to finance his campaign. "I have enough money that I don't have to take any money from special interests, because right now we are in a situation we are in because special interests are the ones that are ruling Sacramento."
Davis, the man at the centre of the recall campaign, appeared on CNN Saturday and defended his record on schools and health care. Davis said voters were unfairly blaming him for economic problems in California. "The root of our problems is in Washington. The national economy has hemorrhaged almost three million jobs," he said.
Davis said the recall was "an insult to the eight million people who took the time to vote last November", and would cost an estimated $70 million. Davis also took jabs at Schwarzenegger saying he lacks experience in public life. "I can tell you that recycling old lines from old movies only gets you so far."
Polls suggest Schwarzenegger has become the frontrunner in the race for Governor of California. A CNN-Time poll showed 54 per cent of voters want to oust Davis.
