Maybe I'm wrong but this whole notion of Arnold Schwarzenegger running for governor strikes me as a publicity stunt — one that the muscular thespian would have cut short if he didn't have Terminator III coming out right about now. Assuming the governor's mantle would be a nightmare job. The state's finances are in a mess and it will require hard, long-term planning to even begin to right the ship of state — especially difficult for a Republican who would have to deal with a Democratic legislature. As governor, Arnold's salary would go down, his standard (and locale) of living would decrease, and he would be interrupting a successful movie career in what may be his last few years of being able to land starring roles with multi-million dollar salaries.
And for what? Jesse Ventura jumped into politics but Jesse's wrestling days were over and he needed a new career. Ronald Reagan's days as a movie star were long behind him and anyway, he wanted to be president — a job for which the foreign-born Schwarzenegger is ineligible. Yes, there is a certain prestige and honor that Arnold may crave…but there are too many potential humiliations out there, starting with the possible losing of the election and alienating a large chunk of the electorate in the process. Looking like a loser won't help the opening weekend of Terminator IV or whatever else he wants to do in Hollywood in the future.
Mr. Schwarzenegger always struck me as a pretty smart guy. His success as a movie star has turned to some extent on his willingness to go out and hustle and promote, even to the extent of mocking his accent and physique. He has a lot of years invested in that success. Odder things have happened but I can't see him being willing to risk it all for what could — win or lose — turn out to be a humiliating situation. He just doesn't seem like a guy who's eager to cut short his acting career…especially with so few apparent upsides.