It's Arnold

Recall passes with 54% of vote; Schwarzenegger named governor

Tuesday night’s historic election left room for one winner and one winner only. Any opposition was officially terminated.

In numbers that far exceeded the turnout of last year’s election, voters showed their discontent with current politics by recalling Gray Davis and electing Arnold Schwarzenegger as the new governor of California.

The Field Poll estimated that as many as 10 million people would cast votes in the election, meaning that as many as 65 percent of all registered voters would turn out.

At press time, roughly 54 percent of voters had voted to recall Davis, while about 45 percent opposed the recall.

Schwarzenegger was the front-runner in the race to succeed Davis with 47.8 percent of voters choosing him. The nearest candidate, Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, received 32.6 percent of the votes.

Fresno voters seemed to echo the rest of the state in voting tendencies and turnout.

At the University Presbyterian Church polling place, poll worker Raul Camarillo said he saw a higher student turnout than in past elections.

“ People have taken interest in the issues,” Camarillo said.

The final count at the church showed Schwarzenegger as having 259 votes and Bustamante with 130 votes.

Voter Jim Graham, 60, of Fresno, said he supported the recall election and cast his vote for Schwarzenegger.

Other voters voiced disgust with the recall’s turn of events.

“ This election is a joke. There are so many candidates,” said freshman Geoff Ennis.

The recall’s media circus atmosphere was highlighted by 135 candidates and mud slinging in all directions.

During the final days and weeks before the election, Schwarzenegger found himself facing accusations that, worst case scenario, could have lost him the race.

He took the personal accusations of sexual harassment and anti-Semitism with their respective grains of salt.

On the subject of his sexual harassment charges, Schwarzenegger said he had treated some women badly in the past and wished they had confronted him so he could apologize.

“ To those people that I have offended, I want to say that I am deeply sorry,” he said.

Schwarzenegger’s representatives also said he had never made positive statements about Hitler and his statements were taken out of context during the 1975 movie “Pumping Iron.”

Schwarzenegger was able to survive the media attacks and rode the wave of celebrity to victory by taking a moderate stance throughout his campaign.

In his victory speech, Schwarzenegger said, “I want to represent anybody. I want to represent everybody.”

Schwarzenegger also alluded to nonpartisan politics when he discussed the need for a smooth transition after the election.

Yet complete moderation in politics may be easier said than done.

Schwarzenegger still faces California’s democratic majority, an $8 billion deficit and the state budget due in January.

These issues could stall many of Schwarzenegger’s plans for California, as he pledged to:

Restore California’s economic competitiveness

Meet the needs of California’s students

Solve California’s energy crisis

Take action to cut California pollution

Establish new policies for undocumented immigrants

Reform California government

Fix the worker’s compensation system

Nonetheless, Schwarzenegger’s victory speech was full of optimism and appreciation. In it, he thanked everyone from his wife and family to the state itself.

“ California has given me absolutely everything… California has given me the greatest gift of all…California has given me their trust, by voting for me,” he said.

Schwarzenegger said he would not betray that trust and discussed the need for change in politics.

“ For the people to win, politics as usual must lose,” he said. “I will not fail you…I will not disappoint you…I will not let you down.”