<font color=green> I guess Arnold isn't running.............<font color=black>
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Candidacy Terminated?
Schwarzenegger Tells Friends, Family He’s Not Running for Calif. Governor
By Marc J. Ambinder
July 30— Arnold Schwarzenegger has told friends and political advisers he does not intend to run for governor of California, clearing the way for his friend and fellow Republican Richard Riordan to make a bid.
An announcement could come as early as Thursday, with Schwarzenegger bowing out and Riordan readying a candidacy, sources close to the actor told ABCNEWS.
Advisers to both men stressed that no final decision had been made and that the situation could reverse itself.
Schwarzenegger was considering joining the already crowded ballot to replace Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, should voters decide to recall him on Oct. 7.
The Austrian-born actor, who turned 56 today, would have entered the race with instant name recognition and an ability to raise money quickly. But even some Republicans questioned his spare political credentials, and Democrats raised questions about his flashy Hollywood lifestyle and personal judgment.
Sources said that Schwarzenegger 's wife, television journalist and Kennedy family member Maria Shriver, was the prime mover in convincing him to lean against running.
Garry South, a top adviser to Davis, said a Schwarzenegger bid would not have changed the strategy the governor intends to employ to keep his job.
"Despite all the hype of whether Schwarzenegger was in it or not, it's clear from the polling data that he wasn't a massive factor in this race even if he got into it," South said.
But South acknowledged that a groundswell of media interest — the famous actor with the Kennedy connection — could have changed that dynamic. "It would have ratcheted up the level and type of coverage to a degree never seen before in a never been seen in California history," he said.
Riordan, a former mayor of Los Angeles who was defeated in the GOP primary to run against Davis in 2002, would join a crowded field of Republicans. They include Rep. Darrell Issa, former gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon, and state Sen. Tom McClintock.
Representatives from those campaigns met Tuesday with California GOP Chairman Duff Sundheim to set ground rules for the short campaign period ahead. Democrats have held several meetings to coordinate strategy.
Bush Stays Out of Fray
President Bush today refused to explicitly endorse a Republican or the recall bid itself, saying it was up to the voters of California to decide.
"It's their decision to decide whether or not there will be a recall [vote], which they decided," Bush said. "Now they get to decide who the governor is going to be."
South said he wasn't concerned about a possible Riordan candidacy because, while Riordan would probably assume front-runner status immediately, his Republican opponents would take it upon themselves to trip up their rival.
Schwarzenegger's apparent exit comes a day after the state legislature agreed on a compromise budget to close a $38 billion budget shortfall, making it more difficult for Republicans to use the issue to their advantage.
In an interview today with ABCNEWS' Jake Tapper, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown said that if Davis is recalled and someone whom Brown considers to be an unqualified is elected, then Brown would consider it "his duty" to participate in a recall effort of that individual.
Brown said he considers Simon and Issa to be unqualified.
ABCNEWS' Mark Halperin contributed to this story. |
