Governor Schwarzenegger To Endorse McCain

(CBS/AP)  CBS News has confirmed that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will endorse John McCain on Thursday, giving a certain boost to the Republican presidential front-runner six days before California's high-prize primary.

The two will appear at a news conference after touring a Los Angeles-based solar energy company and the governor will make his endorsement official, his senior aides confirmed Wednesday.

Schwarzenegger's endorsement is yet another setback for Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who saw Florida slip from his grasp Tuesday after McCain rolled up the support of that state's two top elected Republicans, Gov. Charlie Crist and Sen. Mel Martinez.

His strategy in tatters, Romney plans to offer himself as the conservative alternative to McCain as he pushes ahead in hopes of winning enough delegates to topple the Arizona senator when 21 states vote in the Republican contest on Tuesday.

Schwarzenegger's move comes as McCain plows ahead toward the nomination, the only Republican candidate to have won three hotly contested primaries since voting began earlier this month.

"Governor Schwarzenegger is an exceptional governor and we are honored that he has decided to endorse Senator McCain, and look forward to the event tomorrow," said Steve Schmidt, a senior McCain adviser who managed Schwarzenegger's 2006 campaign.

The four-term senator is running strongly ahead of his competitors in California, which offers a whopping 170 delegates to the Republican nominating convention. Candidates secure three delegates for each of the state's 53 congressional districts they win in the primary, in which only Republicans can vote.

The ultimate effect of Schwarzenegger's endorsement is unclear. The celebrity governor and former actor is universally known in the state, and his political network certainly will be helpful to McCain, who has virtually no organized effort in California after his candidacy nearly collapsed. The actor-turned-governor also is a prolific fundraiser.

But Schwarzenegger has a strained relationship with some conservatives in his own party and McCain, himself, is fighting to convince GOP rank-and-file that he's committed to conservative values. Schwarzenegger's nod could exacerbate concerns about McCain among the party establishment.

Schwarzenegger also is taking heat from state Republicans who argue he's been too willing to bend to the wishes of the Democratic-controlled Legislature. At the same time, California faces a $14.5 billion budget deficit over the next year-and-half, and the governor has rankled the state's powerful education lobby with his proposal to cut spending by 10 percent from state agencies to deal with the financial crisis.

McCain and Schwarzenegger have been friends for years, and the two share a bond over their work on global warming issues as well as their similar independent streaks. Aides say Schwarzenegger long has respected McCain's push to eliminate wasteful spending in Washington, protect the environment and fix a broken immigration system.

The governor offered high praise of McCain throughout the campaign, calling him a "great senator" and "very good friend," and the two appeared together at the Port of Los Angeles last year. "We share common philosophy and goals for this country," McCain said at the time.

But Schwarzenegger always has stopped short of endorsing McCain, given that another friend, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, also was in the race.

Earlier this month, Schwarzenegger told reporters he would not make an endorsement in the GOP primary, saying then: "It doesn't help me, and it doesn't help the state of California." But senior advisers say Giuliani's departure from the race Wednesday changed the dynamics of the decision for Schwarzenegger, and he decided to go ahead with the endorsement as it was clear that Giuliani's candidacy was over.

[Krazcarl]

HWY71So...You sound bitter what you got against Mcain he insult the faimily?

[glossypan]

"The United States military could stay in Iraq for maybe a hundred years and that would be fine with me," John McCain told two hundred or so people at a town hall meeting in Derry, New Hampshire, on Thursday evening

[michellem99-2009]

crzmeat yer right..I was mormon and dedanded out. I can see right thru mitt..bloody lies..McCain...a ww3..Hillary...who will have to tell Bill he is first gentleman not pres..are we readdy for madam presadent.

[Krazcarl]

commonseance....I''ve never viewed followers of joe smith as conservative idiots yes conservatives no. What you smoking there. He''s got cash a business ethic if he was intelligent he wouldn''t be a mormon.

[hwy71so]

Come on McCain. PROVE you are a conservative. So far, you''ve proven otherwise. Same as Romney.

I''ll be voting a write-in this year.

[ianlou]

Arnold Schwarzenegger would make a good Democrat,
His in-laws would like to see it.

[ljpitcher77]

I don''t know how anyone could watch the debate last night and still vote for McCain. McCain spent the night accusing Romney of flip-flopping all the time running from his own liberal positions in the past. So much for the "Strait talk express". Just watch these dial tests.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video_log/2008/01/luntz_group_says_romney_wins.html

McCain can''t even answer questions on the economy. The only way he made it though last night%u2019s debate was by hiding behind his war hero status (as commendable as his service was).

Romney on the other hand delivered clear detailed answers on every question he was asked and then some. I you doubt it take the time to watch it for yourself.

It is clear who should be running for president. The only question is will the Republican voters bow to the Media and the liberal factions of our own party and run McCain anyway.

[perception5]

Well Hillary Rotten-Clinton is the top bundler of lobbyist money for the Dems.

And McLiar (was McCain) is the top bundler of lobbyist money for the GOP.

And Gee Whiz just look who''s "probably" going to be the Dem and GOP candidates for Prez in November.

That''s right.....................................McLiar vs. Hillary Rotten-Clinton

It looks like Mitt Romney and Obama are correct.

WASHINGTON DC IS BROKEN ...............................really sad indeed

[papabc]

Diehard Bush supporters would like McCain
**********
Wrong....
McCain is way to liberal. He is more like a Hillery

[cbs4me3]

Wonderful, now we have 3 factions. Arnie by marriage has association with Teddy, except Arnie can drop kick Teddy over the moon. Bobby''s kids endorse Hillary and are so cool over this. So nice to see the way Arnie and Bobby''s kids have handled themselves.