Video: 'The 2003 Recall of California Governor Davis - Part 1'
(Tuesday, October 7, 2003, Davis conceded at 10:00 p.m. PDT; during the 2003 California gubernatorial recall election) — Angry Californians ousted unpopular Democratic Gov. Gray Davis today and replaced him with Republican movie star and political novice Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Today’s ballot had two questions. The first question was whether Davis, the sitting governor, should be recalled; those voting on it were 55.4 percent in favor of recall and 44.6 percent opposed.
The second question was who would replace the governor in the event that a majority voted to recall him. Among those voting on the potential replacement, Schwarzenegger received a plurality of 48.6 percent, surpassing Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante’s 31.5 percent – about a 3-to-2 ratio.
Schwarzenegger’s votes exceeded those for the next five candidates combined, despite the presumed division of Republican voters between him and McClintock. There were also more votes for Schwarzenegger (4,206,284) than votes against recalling Davis (4,007,783), avoiding the theoretical scenario of the replacement having less support than the recalled governor.
Video: 'The 2003 Recall of California Governor Davis - Part 2'
Davis conceded late tonight, saying, “Tonight the people did decide that it is time for someone else to serve. I accept their judgment.”
The replacement of Davis by Schwarzenegger represents one of the most remarkable turnabouts in California’s political history — a bitter defeat for state and national Democrats, and a giant leap forward for Republicans, who would wield power again in the richest, most populous state in the union.
Davis is only the second governor in the nation’s history to be recalled (the first was North Dakota’s 1921 recall of Lynn Frazier).
Voters had told survey takers for weeks they were tired of his inability to fix the states budget problems and weary of his constant fund-raising that led many to say special interests held sway in Sacramento.
The election would be certified on Nov. 14, 2003, and Schwarzenegger would be sworn-in three days later to serve the remainder of Davis’ term.
Schwarzenegger would be re-elected in the 2006 California gubernatorial election with an increased vote share of 55.9 percent to serve a full term.
Video: 'The 2003 Recall of California Governor Davis - Part 3'
Between March 9 and 15, 2010, Schwarzengegger received a 71% disapproval rating in a Field public opinion poll of 503 registered voters. Thereafter, he received a disapproval rating of more than 60% in all public opinion polling through Nov. 14, 2010.
On Jan. 3, 2011, having reached his term limit as governor, left office and returned to acting.
On May 9, 2011, Schwarzenegger’s wife Maria Shriver, niece of President John F. Kennedy, ended their relationship after 25 years of marriage, moving out of their Brentwood mansion. A week later, the Los Angeles Times revealed that Schwarzenegger had fathered a son more than 14 years earlier with an employee in their household, Mildred Patricia “Patty” Baena.
“After leaving the governor’s office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago,” Schwarzenegger said to the Times.
In the statement, Schwarzenegger did not mention that he had confessed to his wife only after she had confronted him with the information, which she had done after confirming with the housekeeper what she had suspected about the child.
