Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)

Former Governor of California (November 2003-January 2011)

Why He Matters

Schwarzenegger transformed himself from a superstar on the international bodybuilding circuit and the big screen to a prominent and influential player in the American political arena when he was elected governor of the Golden State in 2003.

The governorship is the first public office held by the Austrian native, who became a U.S. citizen in the 1980s after immigrating to America to train as a professional bodybuilder in Santa Monica, Calif. He was replaced by former Gov. Jerry Brown (D) in 2010.

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The pro-abortion rights Republican describes himself as a post-partisan public official. "I believe that we have an opportunity to move past partisanshipto move past bi-partisanshipto move to post-partisanship. Post-partisanship is not simply Republicans and Democrats each bringing their proposals to the table and then working out the differences. No, post-partisanship is Republicans and Democrats actively giving birth to new ideas together," he said in his 2007 inaugural address.

Schwarzenegger called for elected officials from both side of the aisle to move to the center. He has also advocated for significant reforms in the Republican national platform and criticized his party for losing sight of its core values. Schwarzenegger's celebrity and proven ability to build bipartisan coalitions led to speculation that he would leave the state capital to join the Obama administration, despite the fact that he endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in the 2008 presidential race.

But the governor's reign will likely be remembered for his inability to close a $28 billion deficit, soaring unemployment and an unstable economy.The budget crisis consumed the latter part of Schwarzenegger's tenure and there was no easy way out.

With an estimated net worth of more than $200 million, Schwarzenegger is one of the richest governors in California history. He donates his governor's salary of $206,500 to charity.

California term limits prevented Schwarzenegger from running for reelection in 2010. He has not ruled out running for the Senate or for mayor. He cannot run for U.S. president unless a constitutional amendment is approved to let foreign-born citizens achieve that office.

After 25 years of his marriage, Schwarzenegger announced in May 2011 that he was separating from his wife Maria Shriver, a member of the Kennedy family. The two have four children. Shortly afterwards, Schwarzenegger admitted that he fathered the child of a long-time household staffer, something Maria Shriver had only just learned about.

In His Own Words

"I believe that we have an opportunity to move past partisanship…to move past bi-partisanship…to move to post-partisanship. Post-partisanship is not simply Republicans and Democrats each bringing their proposals to the table and then working out the differences. No, post-partisanship is Republicans and Democrats actively giving birth to new ideas together," Schwarzenegger said.

More on: Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)

At a Glance
Path to Power
The Issues
The Network
Additional Resources

Corrections?

Background

At a Glance

Career History: President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (1990 to 1993);Actor (1970 to 2003); Professional bodybuilder (1965 to 1980)
Birthday: July 30, 1947
Hometown: Thal, Austria
Alma Mater: University of Wisconsin, Superior (1989)

Spouse: Maria Shriver (separated)
Religion: Catholic
DC Office: State Capitol Building Sacramento, Calif., 95814916-445-2841
Web site

Path to Power

Schwarzenegger, who was raised outside of Graz, Austria, began weight training when he was 14- years-old. His professional bodybuilding career was put on hold in his late teens when he was drafted into the Austrian army. After leaving the base to win an all-Europe junior title, the army allowed him to fulfill the rest of his service requirement in bodybuilding. He won the Mr. Universe title at age 20 in 1967 and went on to win Mr. Olympia seven times.

Schwarzenegger has said that he saw a career in bodybuilding as his ticket to a happier life in America and in the 1960s he immigrated to the United States to further his career.

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Schwarzenegger settled in California, where he began taking acting lessons and sought to translate his success on the bodybuilding circuit to stardom on the silver screen. He emerged in the 1980s and 90s as one of Hollywood's leading action heroes, starring in blockbusters such as the "The Terminator," "Batman & Robin" and "True Lies." He also earned a bachelor's degree in business from the University of Wisconsin in 1979. Over the years, he has invested in real estate and other business ventures.

The bodybuilder set his sights on building opportunities for physical fitness for underprivileged children in the early 1990s after President George H.W. Bush named him the chairman of the President's Council of Physical Fitness and Sports.

Marriage to Maria Shriver

Schwarzenegger married into the Kennedy family when he wed television journalist Maria Shriver in 1986. Shriver is the daughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a driving force behind the Special Olympics and sister to the late President John F. Kennedy. Her father, Robert Sargent Shriver, was the first director of the Peace Corps and the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 1972.

"Politics was not my goal. but I married into a political family. You get together with them and you hear about policy, about reaching out to help people. I was exposed to the idea of being a public servant, and Eunice and Sargent Shriver became my heroes. Not that we agreed on everything politically, but we totally agreed on using your talent to reach out and influence people," Schwarzenegger said in a 2002 interview with LA Weekly.

But in May 2011, after Schwarzenegger left the governorship and the two were reported to have been living essentially separate lives, Schwarzenegger and Shriver separated after 25 years of marriage.

"This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us," they said in a joint statement. "After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer, we came to this decision together. At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship.

Over the years, Shriver had been a great political asset to Schwarzenegger, especially when allegations of groping women surfaced during his 2003 gubernatorial run. Schwarzenegger admitted to "behaving badly," and Shriver stood by his side at the time.

"Yes, it is true that I was on rowdy movie sets," Schwarzenegger then said, "and I have done things that were not right, which I thought then was playful. But I now recognize that I have offended people. And to those people that I have offended, I want to say to them, I am deeply sorry about that, and I apologize."

Proposition 49

In 2002, Schwarzenegger sponsored Proposition 49, a ballot initiative that established after-school programs. The proposition passed, 57 to 43 percent, with wide support across the state. The success of Schwarzenegger's Prop 49 campaign led some political strategists to name Schwarzenegger an early frontrunner inthe 2006 gubernatorial race. There was also speculation that he would try to unseat Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) in 2004.

2003 Gubernatorial Special Election

But the opportunity to run for office came sooner. In 2003, Schwarzenegger won the special election to choose a replacement for California Gov. Gray Davis (D), who faced a recall vote after the state deficit soared to between an estimated $26 to $35 billion.

Schwarzenegger, who announced his candidacy on Jay Leno's "The Tonight Show," quickly emerged as a top candidate among the 135 contenders for the seat. Davis was recalled 55 percent to 45 percent in the Oct. 7, 2003, election and Schwarzenegger won as his replacement with 49 percent of the vote. Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante (D) and State Sen. Tom McClintock (R) finished with 32 and 13 percent of the vote, respectively.

Governor and Ballot Measures

Schwarzenegger campaigned on the promise of bringing "action, action action" to state politics, and he immediately signed a number of executive orders. He repealed Davis' widely unpopular car tax, a move that added $4 billion to the $10 billion gap between state spending and revenues.

When it came to tackling the growing deficit, Schwarzenegger proposed a $15 billion bond measure that would help refinance the state's massive debt along with a largely symbolic measure requiring that all future budgets to be balanced. Though instantly a hit among voters, the measure included enough loopholes to allow lawmakers to circumvent its mandates.

Both measures were added to California's March 2004 ballot and passed by wide margins; the bond measure with 63 percent of vote and the balanced-budget amendment with 71 percent. Spending cuts and high revenues allowed Schwarzenegger to cut the deficit in half - to about $7 billion - by the end of his first year in office.

Schwarzenegger ended his first year as governor with 60 percent voter approval ratings. But in 2005, Schwarzenegger's support of several unpopular ballot initiatives, coupled with the continuing state budget crisis, caused his approval ratings to drop to the mid-30s.

The Republican proposed ballot measures to cut spending and empower the governor to make unilateral budget cuts. He wanted to require unions to get permission to use members' dues for political campaigns, transfer redistricting responsibilities from the state legislature to a panel of retired judges and increase the timeframe for teachers to gain permanent employment status. All four Schwarzenegger-backed initiatives failed in a 2005 special election.

In his 2006 reelection bid, Schwarzenegger handily defeated then-State Treasurer Phil Angelides (D), 56 percent to 39 percent. Angelides campaigned as a staunch Democrat and opponent of the George W. Bush administration, but Schwarzenegger's campaign centered on bringing bipartisan governing to Sacramento. It drew the support of high-profile Democrats such as former State Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D).

The Issues

Schwarzenegger has said he first identified with the Republican Party after listening to presidential candidates Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey spar in the 1968 presidential campaign.

Schwarzenegger, who describes himself as a centrist and a post-partisan, is liberal on many cultural issues. His post-partisan theme, introduced during his 2007 gubernatorial inaugural address, drew criticism from conservatives who said Schwarzenegger was pandering to the left to boost his own political capital.

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Energy and the Environment

Reducing carbon emissions has become a centerpiece of Schwarzenegger's agenda. His efforts gained national reinforcement in May 2009 when President Obama announced that the U.S. would embrace tougher standards to reduce tailpipe emissions.

California had sought to toughen its standards for some time, but the effort was blocked by the George W. Bush administration and tied up in the courts. In May 2009, with Schwarzenegger at the White House, Obama announced a single nationwide emissions standard that would require a 30% reduction in carbon dioxide and other emissions from vehicles sold in the United States by 2016.

In 2006, Schwarzenegger had signed the California Global Warming Solutions Act, which requires a 25 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 and a 40 percent cut by 2050. It was the nation's first law mandating a cut in emissions, but was tied up in the courts. California will now adopt the new federal standards.

Schwarzenegger supports expanding the use of a wide array of energy sources and is a proponent of implementing cap-and-trade systems to reduce carbon emissions.

He has advocated increased reliance on renewable energy sources, including biofuels for cars. Schwarzenegger has set a goal of generating one third of state utility power from renewable sources by 2020 - 13 percent higher than the target mandated under current California law. He has converted his Hummers into hybrids and fills one car with biodiesel fuel.

The governor has signed agreements with other Western states to foster the development of clean-coal technology and also supports the continued use of nuclear power.

The California League of Conservation voters awarded the governor a 60 percent score in its 2008 scorecard. The group criticized the governor for vetoing a state Senate bill that would have set goals for lowering air pollution near the state's major ports.

The Economy and State Budget Crisis

Schwarzenegger describes himself as a fiscal conservative. But the action hero's political legacy may well be determined by his agreement to a July 2009 deal to close the $23.6 billion state budget deficit, which sparked one of the worst financial crises in the state's history. While political wrangling continued, California was unable to pay its bills for only the second time since the Great Depression. His term ended in 2010 with the budget deficit at $28 billion and the state economy in shambles.

The governor and legislature agreed to a deal that didn't raise taxes, but deeply slashed health care for the poor and elderly, eliminated funds for local governments and curtailed spending on education and state prisons. The ramifications of the budget may not be apparent for years.

In late 2008, Schwarzenegger criticized George W. Bush's $700 billion financial bailout package for being poorly sold to the American public. "No one in America is interested in bailing out Wall Street because those are the guys that are making the billions of dollars. So who is going to help that? But if you go and explain to people this is going to be a bailout for the ordinary citizens and for businesses, small and large, for everyone, the economy and everyone will be affected all the way down to Main Street, not Wall Street, that is then a different ball game," he said in October 2008, adding that politicians in Washington should all go back to school and take "Marketing 101."

Schwarzenegger supported the proposed bailout of the big three automakers, but emphasized the need for reform in the auto industry.

Health-Care Reform

Schwarzenegger was one of the first prominent GOP officials to come out in favor of health-care reform plans in 2009.

At a time when many Republican lawmakers said they wanted to scrap Democratic health-care plans and start over, the California governor urged Congress to pass health care. He said he supported President's Obama's goal of "slowing the growth in costs, enhancing the quality of care delivered, improving the lives of individuals, and helping to ensure a strong economic recovery."

Gay Rights

Schwarzenegger has supported equal rights for same-sex couples since he entered politics, but his stance on gay marriage has shifted in recent years.

In 2005, Schwarzenegger vetoed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage, saying he believed marriage should be between a man and a woman. But he has also said that he wouldn't raise an objection if same-sex marriage is legalized and that the question should be left up to the courts.

Schwarzenegger was vocal in his opposition to Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot initiative that would amend the California constitution to ban same-sex marriage that passed with 53 percent of the vote.

In the wake of Prop 8's passage, Schwarzenegger has said he hopes the California Supreme Court overturns the ban.

Abortion Rights

Schwarzenegger is generally pro-abortion rights, though he supported efforts to ban late-term pregnany termination, a practice often referred to as partial-birth abortion. Schwarzenegger is in favor of required parental notification for minors seeking abortions. In 2004, he endorsed Proposition 4, an unsuccessful ballot imitative that would have mandated minors under the age of 14 notify at least one guardian before getting an abortion.

The Network

Schwarzenegger has built a wide circle of supporters and confidantes across the political spectrum.

Former California Gov. Pete Wilson (R) worked on Schwarzenegger's first gubernatorial run. Billionaire businessman Warren Buffett, George P. Shultz, who served as secretary of state under President Reagan, also consulted for Schwarzenegger on that race.

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Additional Resources

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