Centerfield

Centrist vs. Centrist

California Governor Gray Davis is a centrist, but not a successful one, at least according to this cartoon. Arnold may run as a centrist too. Will he have what it takes to govern?

But, as the Schwarzenegger-as-android figure has so often promised us, he's back. And this time, he is much better positioned for the final assault on the governor's house in Sacramento. California is angrier and ready for an outsider to run against politics-as-usual. The rules of the recall vote mean that he does not have to compete in a primary, and so does not have to convince Republican activists, who might not appreciate his liberal position on social issues and his marriage to John F Kennedy's niece Maria Shriver.

Instead, that record will help sell him as a centrist and bring over floating voters. The last Republican to be elected governor in California, Pete Wilson, took the same liberal stance on abortion and guns. A 30-strong team of political fixers who used to work for Wilson are now running the Schwarzenegger campaign.