Arnie announces bid for political office
Movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced that he will be running for Governor of California.
The Terminator star will stand as Republican candidate had kept the media guessing for weeks about whether he would join the race to the House of Representatives, as he promoted his latest flick, Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines.
The 56-year-old Austrian-born actor, who became a US citizen in 1983, has been hinting for years that he may run for office.
Schwarzenegger made the announcement during a recording of The Tonight Show.
“The politicians are fiddling, fumbling and failing,” he said. “This is why I am going to run for governor.”
Current California Governor, Democrat Gray Davis, is facing an unprecedented recall election as the state’s budget deficit continues to spiral.
Schwarzenegger now follows in the footsteps of former US President Ronald Reagan, who began his working life as a film actor.
At a later press conference the action star and former Mr Universe told reporters, “”California is being run as special interest, politicians are not making moves for the people.”
“I will go to Sacramento [the state capital] and I will clean house.”
Schwarzenegger is a firm supporter of conservative economic policies, but is liberal on social issues, pro-choice on abortion and favours gay rights.
It was thought that he would eventually decide not to run after his wife Maria Shriver expressed concern about the effects of a political career on the couple’s four children.
Also standing for senator of California is porn empire boss Larry Flynt, who is running under the slogan “vote for the smut-peddler with a heart”, and 22-year-old porn actress Mary Carey, who is campaigning on issues such as taxing breast implants and swapping guns for X-rated films to reduce violence.
However, talk show host Jerry Springer has announced that he will not be running as a Democratic US Senate candidate.
The former Mayor of Cincinnati will not stand for the post of senator of Ohio.
He stated that “a tough decision”, but said he could not separate the job from his television show.
59-year-old Springer ran a failed bid for Ohio governor in 1982, before becoming a television reporter and then a talk show host.
