The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

(Page 2 of 2)

But speaking to the governors about his efforts to push for more extensive childhood physical education programs in public schools, Schwarzenegger stated quite unequivocally that he would like to run for the highest office in his home state.

Last year Schwarzenegger backed former L.A. mayor Richard Riordan in his bid for the governorship, after the actor himself had been talked up as a possible candidate. But Schwarzenegger is committed to several high profile film projects that will carry him into 2004. After that, all bets are off.

According to several California campaign consultants, Schwarzenegger is using his phys-ed campaign to gauge just how far he has to go to achieve the kind of slick political persona necessary to run statewide. There is talk of his picking one particular statewide issue to back in 2003 so that he can continue to travel the state in an advocacy role. "It's all about getting people thinking about him as a citizen activist, not just an actor," says one Sacramento-based political consultant. "The more people relate to him as a man interested in issues important to them, the easier it will be for him to show he is a leader who deserves their vote for elected office. It's not a stretch to see it happening."

Another political consultant says that Schwarzenegger, as recently as six months ago, paid for political polling to measure his name recognition and the public's view of him as a potential political candidate. The consultant wouldn't discuss the numbers, other than to say that there were no surprises. "He would not have been embarrassed had he sought the Republican nomination for governor," says the consultant. "But he would not have won it, either."

p>The consultant adds that by the 2006 California gubernatorial primaries, Schwarzenegger should have transitioned out of high profile movie roles: he is currently shooting Terminator 3 and is slated to again play Conan the Barbarian , perhaps in mid-2003 if the production is greenlit. br> /p>

topics:
Education, NATO