Poltical Photographs
Celebrity helped me get elected governor and boost Californiainto the spotlight, especially on global issues like the environment.
I love it when people say something can’t be done—I jumped into the California recall election of 2003. Above, a sea of supporters in Riverside. Ron Murray
A carpet of signs at my office in Santa Monica. Ron Murray
Warren Buffett the Democrat and George Shultz the Republican flanked me at my first press conference, dramatizing that I was a candidate for all of California. David McNew / Getty Images
On the eve of the election, I raised a broom on the steps of the capitol in Sacramento and vowed to clean house. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Maria and I celebrated my victory on election night, October 7, 2003, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Hector Mata / AFP / Getty Images
Eunice and Sarge, who always encouraged me to do public service, joined the victory celebration. Ron Murray
Six weeks later, on November 17, we all walked the corridor of the state capitol to take the stage for my first inauguration. Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times
Maria held the Bible as I was sworn in as the thirty-eighth governor of the state of California. Silvia Mautner
I took office with no previous experience as an elected official, at a time of crisis, with the state facing massive budget deficits and an economic slump. California State Archives / John Decker
Never mind that I was a centrist—I was making such a splash that the party leaders asked me to help get George W. Bush reelected. Addressing the Republican National Convention at Madison Square Garden, August 30, 2004. © 2004 Rick T. Wilking
I set up a tent on the patio outside my office so I’d have a place to smoke stogies. It became known as the deal-making tent. Democratic assemblymen Fabián Núñez and Darrell Steinberg have come to horse-trade in June 2004. California State Archives / Steven Hellon
Democrat Herb Wesson, left, the state assembly leader when I took office, would tease me about my height; here we chat with Reverend Jesse Jackson at an Urban League party in 2005. California State Archives / Duncan McIntosh
Each December, a few days after officially lighting the Christmas tree, we would celebrate Chanukah on the steps of the Capitol. California State Archives / John Decker
Overly generous public-employee pensions are now a nationwide issue, but in 2005 we were already campaigning to stop California from spending more than it was taking in. California State Archives / Duncan McIntosh
The issues were serious, yet we still had a good time— here I’m discussing water resources at a May 2005 staff session with (from left) my cabinet secretary Terry Tamminen, chief of staff Pat Clarey, and state and consumer services secretary Fred Aguiar. California State Archives / Steven Hellon
Senator Dianne Feinstein, a hugely popular Democrat, advised us on how to deal with Washington and with members of her party on behalf of our state. At this media conference we’re joking that it will take muscle to solve California’s water problems. California State Archives / William Foster
My mother-in-law was a font of wisdom and insight. Notice that she has chosen the seat at the head of the table in the cabinet room when she dropped by to chat in March 2004. California State Archives / Steven Hellon
Paul Wachter had no official position but remained an important advisor—and regular chess partner—while I was governor. California State Archives / Peter Grigsby
California agriculture secretary A. G. Kawamura and I hyped our local produce— those are plums on the tray I’m holding—during this 2005 trade mission to Hong Kong. California State Archives / John Decker
California is prone to floods, droughts, and other natural disasters, and I put huge emphasis on readiness and response. Above: comforting residents who have lost everything in the Humboldt wildfire of June 2008, which burned 23,000 acres and destroyed 87 homes. California State Archives / William Foster
In the wake of a January 2005 mudslide in La Conchita that claimed ten lives. California State Archives / Duncan Mcintosh
A few days before his reelection, I welcomed President Bush and introduced him to an enthusiastic crowd at a rally in Columbus, Ohio. California State Archives / Steven Hellon
Arizona Senator John McCain rode the bus with me to help campaign for my ill-fated “Reform and Rebuild” initiatives in 2005. California State Archives / John Decker
I liked to call California a nation-state; it was a magnet for foreign leaders. Mexican president Vicente Fox was a great partner in cross-border initiatives; he and his wife Marta visited during the busy months leading to my reelection in 2006. California State Archives / John Decker
I was eager to meet the Dalai Lama when he spoke at the Governor’s Women’s Conference in Long Beach in 2006. We chatted about his travels and his long exile from Tibet; at right is California’s chief of protocol, Charlotte Shultz. California State Archives / Duncan Mcintosh
Strategist Steve Schmidt, chief of staff Susan Kennedy, and communications director Adam Mendelsohn helped me mend fences with the “coalition of the pissed off” and get reelected in 2006. California State Archives / John Decker
Sly encouraged me to keep fighting when I felt sorry for myself after breaking my leg in December 2006… Schwarzenegger Archive
…and I decided not to wimp out, instead showing up on crutches for my second inauguration. Ron Murray
Just as Ronald Reagan often went across the aisle to work with Democrats, Teddy came to speak at the Reagan Library in 2007. California State Archives / Duncan Mcintosh
British Prime Minister Tony Blair was a key ally of our 2006 climate initiative. I visited him at 10 Downing Street the following year. California State Archives / Duncan Mcintosh
“California is moving the United States beyond debate and doubt to action,” I told the United Nations in 2007. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon invited me to speak about our pioneering new laws combating climate change. Don Emmert / Getty Images
In January 2008, Senator John McCain and New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani came to tour one of California’s energy start-ups. California State Archives / William Foster
President Obama knew about my bipartisan record and that we shared goals on the environment, immigration, and health care reform. When I visited Washington in 2010 he picked my brain about making huge public investments in infrastructure. Official White House photo / Pete Souza
I allied with New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, an independent, and Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, a Democrat, to do something about the fact that the US is falling behind in infrastructure investment. We’re on our way to meet with Obama in the White House in 2009. AP Images
Visiting Iraq in 2009, I shared lunch with a National Guard military police brigade in Baghdad. California State Archives / Justin Short
A memorable experience during that trip was whacking golf balls off the patio at Saddam Husseins former palace. California State Archives / Justin Short
I met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who quizzed me about economic rebuilding. (Thanks to California’s global importance and Hollywood star power, when I traveled I was often welcomed as a head of state.) California State Archives / Justin Short
California State Archives / Justin Short
Bill Clinton and I crossed paths again at an energy and environment forum in Jerusalem in 2009. We are both passionate about building a green energy future for America and the world. California State Archives / Justin Short
I had huge ambitions for California as a leader in renewable energy and the environment—here US interior secretary Salazar (in the white hat) joined me in the Mojave Desert at the world’s largest solar power plant. California State Archives /Peter Grigsby
Just before my governorship ended I journeyed to the Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Company in China to thank the workers building parts of the new San Francisco Bay Bridge. California State Archives / Peter Grigsby
Susan Kennedy and I hug in relief after winning a hard-fought budget victory. California State Archives / Justin Short
For my last birthday as governor my staff surprised me with cake and cupcakes in the atrium near the smoking tent. California State Archives / Justin Short
Rula Manikas, my Sacramento assistant, was the only one authorized to touch my necktie and pick the color. California State Archives / John Decker
In the dead of August 2008 as we wait for a legislative vote, I crack jokes with staffers Mona Mohammadi (seated), Daniel Ketchell, Greg Dunn, Karen Baker and guest, Daniel Zingale, and Gary Delsohn. California State Archives / Peter Grigsby
I’ve benefited from the American dream, and the courage and dedication of the US military safeguards it. From my early days as a bodybuilding champion, wherever I traveled, I would visit bases and warships to pump up the troops—and say thank you. Here I’m with the US Army garrison in Seoul, South Korea, in 2010. California State Archives / Peter Grigsby