Arnold To Get The Lowe-Down
Actor and longtime Democrat Rob Lowe says he's volunteering for Arnold Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial campaign because he believes the action-star has injected new energy into California politics.
Schwarzenegger is, "motivating and energizing people in this state that haven't been interested in politics in many, many years," Lowe said in a taped interview with the syndicated TV entertainment newsmagazine show "Extra", slated to air Monday.
Despite their party differences, Lowe said he wanted to help the Republican candidate unseat Gov. Gray Davis in the Oct. 7 recall election because Schwarzenegger will "put the people above partisan politics."
Lowe, who will organize celebrity support for the campaign, described Schwarzenegger as a natural leader.
"I know that when I'm on a set, I want to know who the director is. I don't want to have to guess," Lowe said. "That's what Arnold will bring to this state. He's a leader."
The former "West Wing" star also described the campaign as: "a tremendous sacrifice for Arnold and for the family to give up their way of life — the privacy they value so much."
Lowe's participation in the campaign was announced Friday. He is one of several high profile advisers to join Schwarzenegger's team. Last week George P. Shultz, secretary of state during the Reagan administration, and billionaire Warren Buffet also announced they will assist the campaign.
The former "West Wing" star has dabbled in real-life politics in the past, reports Entertainment Tonight. He backed Democrat Michael Dukakis in the 1988 presidential election, and has worked with Jane Fonda and her ex-husband Tom Hayden to campaign for California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. (ET, like CBSNews.com, is part of Viacom, Inc.)
The latest polling suggests Davis is likely to be recalled and puts Schwarzenegger second, behind Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, among the 135 replacement candidates. The nonpartisan Field Poll showed Bustamante had the support of 25 percent of likely voters, and Schwarzenegger 22 percent, with a margin of error of 5 percentage points.