Schwarzenegger said to be leaning against run for governor

LOS ANGELES -- Arnold Schwarzenegger has played the role of Hamlet more than Terminator in recent weeks, deliberating whether to be or not to be a candidate for governor of California.

Now the actor, who turned 56 on Wednesday, appears on the verge of opting out of the role of a lifetime. His advisers say an announcement that he is not running in the Oct. 7 recall election against Gov. Gray Davis could come within days.

"We have stated that we expect him to announce by the end of the week," Sean Walsh, a Schwarzenegger campaign consultant, said Wednesday after media reports that the actor had opted not to enter the race. "Nothing has changed. Mr. Schwarzenegger is still leaning against a candidacy at this time."

As recently as last week, Schwarzenegger's political adviser, George Gorton, said he expected the actor to get in the race. But after the recall qualified for the ballot on July 23 and an election date was set, rumors surfaced that Schwarzenegger was waffling.

A decision not to run could open the door for Schwarzenegger's friend and fellow moderate Republican, Richard Riordan, the former mayor of Los Angeles.

"If Arnold runs, I'm not running. If he doesn't run I will seriously consider it," Riordan said on Tuesday.

Candidates must declare their intentions by Aug. 9.

Schwarzenegger's advisers say a key factor tilting the actor against a candidacy is opposition from his wife, Maria Shriver, the television journalist and niece of Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. She is said to be concerned about the demands of a campaign on the couple, who have four children ranging in age from 5 to 13.

"She has to give the green light and feel comfortable with it because she moved away from Washington to get away from all that kind of stuff," Schwarzenegger said in May.

Although the box-office star and former world bodybuilding champion is unseasoned in politics, he is considered a potentially formidable contender because of his wealth, name recognition and ability to draw international media attention.

"Obviously if Arnold were to run, having a superstar in the field changes the race in a number of ways," said Republican consultant Rob Stutzman.

"A lot of other dominoes fall based on his decision, including apparently Mayor Riordan's decision and maybe even the decision of Democrats to get in or get out. So I think a lot of eyes are on Arnold."

That's a position the Austrian-born actor is used to being in, and his actions over the past year only stoked the speculation.

He surrounded himself with political advisers who worked with former GOP Gov. Pete Wilson and appeared before taxpayer advocacy groups, newspaper editors and a U.S. Senate subcommittee.

He also drafted and championed Proposition 49, last year's successful state ballot initiative meant to dedicate as much as $550 million annually to before- and after-school programs.

"If Schwarzenegger doesn't run all eyes are on Riordan and the prayers of many are with him, because if Riordan and Schwarzenegger both don't run it'll be seen as a real blow to the recall," said Kevin Spillane, a GOP strategist who worked for Riordan during his failed run for the Republican nomination for governor last year.

Davis, meanwhile, insisted Tuesday he doesn't care who enters the race.

"I'm not getting involved in this carnival effort of who's in and who's out," he told The Associated Press.

The only declared Republican candidate is U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, who funded the recall. Businessman Bill Simon, who lost to Davis in November, and state Sen. Tom McClintock are also expected to run. All three are conservative Republicans.

A Schwarzenegger candidacy raises several potential problems for the actor, both political and personal.

If he runs, Schwarzenegger would likely be subjected to withering attacks from Davis allies, who gave him a taste of the harsh spotlight of the political arena last year when he was contemplating running for governor.

A Davis strategist bombarded newsroom fax machines with articles about Schwarzenegger's alleged groping and womanizing. He denied the claims, and some of his co-stars came to his defense.

Last year's rerelease of the film that made him a star in America, the acclaimed 1977 documentary "Pumping Iron," also brought scrutiny when it was noted that Schwarzenegger, then preparing to defend one of his bodybuilding titles, was seen smoking marijuana.

"I did smoke a joint and I did inhale," he told the AP when the film was rereleased in November. "The bottom line is that's what it was in the '70s, that's what I did. I have never touched it since."

If he runs, Schwarzenegger would also have to put on hold an acting career that saw him paid about $30 million for his latest film, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines." With a string of box-office hits under his belt, he is routinely cited as one of the A-list actors who can command $20 million or more a film.

"I think I'm now in the middle of my career," he said in June.