Arnold Schwarzenegger Says The State ‘Made The Right Decision’ Not To Recall Newsom

Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said that California “made the right decision” in not recalling Governor Gavin Newsom.

“I think voters made the right decision,” Schwarzenegger remarked while speaking to the Los Angeles Times on the outcome of this year’s recall election, in which Gov. Gavin Newsom was keeping his seat by a significant margin.

As per an official tally from the California secretary of state’s office, at least 63.7 percent of the state voted for Newsom to keep his seat as of September 16.

Schwarzenegger further added, “It’s better to stay with someone who you know what they’re going to do, rather than someone who comes in wacky and is changing everything around.”

As per a Business insider, after former Governor Gray Davis’ recall election in 2003, Schwarzenegger was elected governor and served two terms from 2003 to 2011. He refused to announce his vote in this year’s recall election during an interview with the Los Angeles Times, although he did criticize the Republican candidates.

“It’s just disastrous,” Schwarzenegger told The Times, referring to Larry Elder, a controversial conservative radio talk show presenter, and Republican frontrunner.

“This is a good comeback story,” he said. “Newsom was down and in the trenches and against the ropes. I think he woke up and made adjustments, talking issues, and all that stuff. And he was very fortunate he had Elder as the leading candidate on the other side.”

In his assessment of the field of GOP candidates, Schwarzenegger, who ran as a Republican in 2003, said the candidates would have done better if they had focused on issues such as the economy, education, and the environment rather than doing the “opposite.”

“The voters want to protect the environment,” he said. “We have the strictest environmental laws in California, and we have proven to the world that you can have strictest environmental laws and at the same time be the most successful economy.”

Newsom is expected to keep his seat as governor, despite claims from famous personalities such as Elder and former President Donald Trump that the vote count was rigged. There is no evidence of widespread vote-rigging in the election.

In 2022, Newsom is expected to run for governor again.