Schwarzenegger will be back

By Michael R. Blood
The Associated Press

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger claimed a second term Tuesday with a decisive victory over Democrat Phil Angelides, capping a yearlong comeback in which he admitted mistakes, boomeranged back to the political center and spotlighted his celebrity to win appeal across the voter spectrum.

In a year when Republicans struggled nationwide, Schwarzenegger avoided the same fate by positioning himself as an “Arnold Republican” — a bipartisan dealmaker with strained ties to the Bush White House. The actor-governor was also blessed with a lusterless opponent who failed to energize his own party, even in a state known as a Democratic stronghold.

“Schwarzenegger is so moderate he is barely a Republican,” Fresno State political science professor Thomas Holyoke said. “There’s no reason to dislike him.”

With 32 percent of precincts reporting, unofficial returns showed the governor had about 59 percent of the vote to Angelides’ 35 percent.

Schwarzenegger’s victory was a demoralizing blow to state Democrats who hoped to oust the nation’s best-known governor. But recent polls showed Schwarzenegger with renewed popularity across party and geographic lines, including in traditionally Democratic coastal areas.

The reelection of Schwarzenegger means that student activists looking for a respite from fee increases will be dealing with familiar political players.

Last year Schwarzenegger opted to buy back a planned fee increase in the CSU system, which spared students from the annual adjustment this year.

“My hope is that the governor will continue to take an active role in keeping higher education affordable,” Michael Karbassi, former California State Student Association representative, said.

Karbassi went on to say that he is “cautiously optimistic” that with his reelection Schwarzenegger will take action to prevent or limit future and planned fee increases.

“Costs are still going up – the question is, will he buy it back next year?” Karbassi said. “But we still need to act to make sure it happens.”

Many political analysts believed a year ago that the race was the Democrats’ to lose.

The Republican governor’s popularity collapsed along with his grand scheme to realign political power in Sacramento. Schwarzenegger, 59, was forced to ponder the possibility that his first term might be his last.

But the former muscleman and Hollywood star abruptly changed course. He stopped belittling “girlie-men” legislators and public employee unions, and cut deals with Democrats on popular issues like global warming and road-building.

“Schwarzenegger figured out something that most politicians don’t — that apologizing is OK,” Holyoke said.

Angelides, 53, tried to convince voters Schwarzenegger is a soul mate of President Bush whose true interests are nested with the corporations and lobbyists that feed off state government.

Voters overlooked much from the governor’s first term. Congressional Republicans promised reform, didn’t deliver and were struggling at the polls. Schwarzenegger promised dramatic reform, pledging to “blow up the boxes” of state government, didn’t deliver, and scored a watershed victory.

His campaign was run by veterans of Bush’s 2004 effort, but Schwarzenegger’s campaign often looked more like one run by former President Clinton, a centrist who pivoted off both parties.

One of the sharpest distinctions in the race was the partisan divide.

Schwarzenegger had promised a new era of collaborative politics. But Angelides, with his relentless attacks on the governor and the president, talked little of bridging partisan differences.

Schwarzenegger didn’t leave himself much time to savor the victory. He leaves Wednesday for a trade mission to Mexico.

Bradley Hart contributed to this report.

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