SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will run for re-election next year, a top aide said Friday.
Schwarzenegger "felt it was very important to let the people of California know this governor plans to be around for the long haul," campaign spokesman Todd Harris said. "It's not a 24-month job, it's a five-year job and he intends to see it through to the end."
The governor had been expected to make the announcement when he speaks to guests at a noon (3 p.m. ET) rally here.
The Republican actor-turned-governor, who has hinted as much for weeks, had all but launched a campaign Wednesday, telling supporters, "I'm not in this just for the short term."
The announcement coincides with the opening day of the state Republican Party convention in Anaheim, which Schwarzenegger is scheduled to address Saturday.
State Treasurer Phil Angelides and Controller Steve Westly have announced they will seek the Democratic nomination. Two liberal Hollywood luminaries, director Rob Reiner and actor Warren Beatty, also have been mentioned as possible candidates.
Schwarzenegger, whose popularity among Democrats and independents has eroded badly, must generate enthusiasm within his party's base if several ballot initiatives he has championed are to pass in a November 8 special election.
The initiatives are intended to curb the power of the Democrat-controlled Legislature and allied public employee unions.
Harris said Schwarzenegger would formally kick off his campaign after the Nov. 8 election.
Strategists had said the governor had to cement his November 2006 re-election plans now to improve his fund raising for the initiatives, which would establish a state spending cap, strip lawmakers of the power to draw political boundaries and make it harder for public school teachers to get tenure. Recent polls show none receiving majority support.
Schwarzenegger was immensely popular his first year, but his job approval ratings have dropped sharply in recent months. His decision to push the ballot measures generated a backlash from labor unions, which have spent millions on television ads since the spring to discredit him.
A nonpartisan Field Poll released last week found that just 36 percent of California voters are inclined to re-elect Schwarzenegger.
The challengers already are lining up.
Schwarzenegger "felt it was very important to let the people of California know this governor plans to be around for the long haul," campaign spokesman Todd Harris said. "It's not a 24-month job, it's a five-year job and he intends to see it through to the end."
The governor had been expected to make the announcement when he speaks to guests at a noon (3 p.m. ET) rally here.
The Republican actor-turned-governor, who has hinted as much for weeks, had all but launched a campaign Wednesday, telling supporters, "I'm not in this just for the short term."
The announcement coincides with the opening day of the state Republican Party convention in Anaheim, which Schwarzenegger is scheduled to address Saturday.
State Treasurer Phil Angelides and Controller Steve Westly have announced they will seek the Democratic nomination. Two liberal Hollywood luminaries, director Rob Reiner and actor Warren Beatty, also have been mentioned as possible candidates.
Schwarzenegger, whose popularity among Democrats and independents has eroded badly, must generate enthusiasm within his party's base if several ballot initiatives he has championed are to pass in a November 8 special election.
The initiatives are intended to curb the power of the Democrat-controlled Legislature and allied public employee unions.
Harris said Schwarzenegger would formally kick off his campaign after the Nov. 8 election.
Strategists had said the governor had to cement his November 2006 re-election plans now to improve his fund raising for the initiatives, which would establish a state spending cap, strip lawmakers of the power to draw political boundaries and make it harder for public school teachers to get tenure. Recent polls show none receiving majority support.
Schwarzenegger was immensely popular his first year, but his job approval ratings have dropped sharply in recent months. His decision to push the ballot measures generated a backlash from labor unions, which have spent millions on television ads since the spring to discredit him.
A nonpartisan Field Poll released last week found that just 36 percent of California voters are inclined to re-elect Schwarzenegger.
The challengers already are lining up.
:banghead: 
