Arnold Schwarzenegger Wants to Become Governor of California - 2003-08-07

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the famous action movie star, announced on the popular 'Tonight Show' that he will register as a candidate in the election to replace current Governor Gray Davis. The Austrian-born Republican stated on Jay Leno's show that he wants to 'clean up' Sacramento, the capital of California. Voters will decide on October 7 whether they want their Democratic governor to continue in office or to replace him with someone else. Schwarzenegger demonstrated his interest in politics last year when he supported a local vote to increase funding for extracurricular activities for school students. So far, over three hundred individuals have received forms to participate in the October 7 election, and they have until Saturday to officially register their candidacy for the position of Governor of California. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who had the most support among Democrats for election, has stated that she will not participate in this election and has urged the public to vote against the recall of Gray Davis. Recent polls indicate that a majority of Californians, by a small margin, want to remove Davis from office. A July poll shows that Schwarzenegger has 15% of the voters' support, while former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, also a Republican, has 21%. Peter Camejo, a candidate from the Green Party who has 8% support according to polls, stated that Schwarzenegger's entry disrupts all calculations.