This Day In History: Arnold Schwarzenegger Becomes California Governor
This Day in History: Arnold Schwarzenegger becomes California Governor on October 7, 2003. In a move that shocked the world, California citizens elected "The Terminator."
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00:00 This day in history, Arnold Schwarzenegger becomes California Governor.
00:07 October 7, 2003.
00:10 A four-time Mr. Universe in Action film star replaced Gray Davis.
00:15 Davis had been recalled by California voters.
00:19 Schwarzenegger ran as a Republican, appealing to voters of the world's fifth-largest economy
00:23 with promises of reform.
00:28 He announced his 11-week campaign on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
00:34 Perhaps most well-known for his role in James Cameron's The Terminator, Schwarzenegger
00:38 had almost no political experience.
00:41 Regardless, he handily defeated the closest challenger in the race, Lieutenant Governor
00:46 Cruz Bustamante by more than a million votes.
00:52 Schwarzenegger was re-elected in 2007, serving as California Governor until 2011.
00:59 He was also the first American to win the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize.