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WENN.com
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Friday, December 09, 2005
HOLLYWOOD - Actor Mel Gibson has been tipped by some Californian Republicans as the next showbiz governor of the state, in a bid to oust increasingly unpopular Arnold Schwarzenegger from office.
The Braveheart star has become the subject of an electioneering Web site boasting an online petition begging him to stand for office next year—despite Gibson never having voiced a desire to enter politics.
Schwarzenegger's poll ratings have plummeted in recent weeks after a succession of ballot losses and the controversial appointment of a Democrat as his chief of staff.
Mike Spence, mastermind of the Gibson Internet campaign and president of the state's Republican Assembly, says, "We have to look for alternatives to the governor because he's been behaving like someone who wants to go back to Hollywood."
And Spence is eager to see Gibson as that replacement, praising the political credentials of films like The Passion of the Christ and his outspoken views on stem cell research.
He adds, "He's shown himself to be both fiscally and socially conservative, and the success of The Passion of the Christ shows that he has the ability to reach out to people.
"We hope to meet with him and encourage him."
In other gubernatorial news, filmmaker Rob Reiner has backed out of plans to challenge Schwarzenegger for the position of California Governor next year.
The Misery director was among the list of names mentioned to run for the coveted position—taken on by Schwarzenegger in 2003—but now the director has decided against it.
Reiner's aide Ben Austin says, "He gave it serious consideration; he had a number of conversations with his family. He is not going to run for governor next year."
The 58-year-old New York native has taken an increasingly high profile in California politics as the sponsor of a June 2006 ballot initiative to guarantee pre-schooling for four-year-olds.
Austin, the campaign manager for the initiative, says Democrat Reiner decided to bow out of the race because he has young children and wants to focus on the pre-school issue.
Some believe that Democrat actor Warren Beatty could also pose a strong challenge to Republican Schwarzenegger next year.
Beattyhas said he does not want to run, although he has not entirely ruled out such an effort.
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