Arnold Schwarzenegger says voters were right to retain Newsom, calls GOP field 'disastrous'

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who became California's governor in 2003 after a recall, said he was relieved that Gavin Newsom kept his job.

“I think voters made the right decision,” Schwarzenegger said in an interview on Wednesday, the day after Democratic Gov. Newsom beat the recall. “It’s better to stay with someone who you know what they’re going to do, rather than someone who comes in wacky and is changing everything around.”

Still, the Republican added he was hopeful that the special election was a “wake-up call” for Newsom that “makes him perform better.”

The 74-year-old movie star declined to say how he voted in the special election. Schwarzenegger has largely avoided weighing in on the effort to replace Newsom, though in recent years he has been an acerbic critic of former President Trump.

In a FaceTime interview with The Times from his sunny Brentwood backyard, however, Schwarzenegger spoke out about the recall election, the future of the state GOP and what he’s working on these days. He has just returned from a trip to Germany to promote his climate change agenda. He is fully invested in efforts to stop gerrymandering during the redistricting process currently underway.

He's busy in Hollywood, including working on "Triplets," the sequel to his 1988 hit film, "Twins," with Danny DeVito. And he's fundraising for the "After School All Stars" program he founded in Los Angeles in the 1990s that's now in 13 states. (A seat at a poker fundraiser at his house on Saturday requires a $50,000 donation.)

The former Mr. Universe, who remains a registered Republican despite his disagreements with the state party's path, was harshly critical of the GOP field in the recall.

“It’s just disastrous,” he said, arguing that the Republican candidates would have connected better with voters if they had highlighted issues such as education, the environment and the state’s robust economy.

They did the opposite, Schwarzenegger said, such as talking about eliminating environmental laws supported by most Californians.