Governator endorses McCain
2008-02-01 08:48
Los Angeles - Popular California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed Republican candidate John McCain on Thursday, giving McCain a key boost in a state crucial in his drive to gain the party's presidential nomination.
"He is a great American hero and an extraordinary leader.
This is why I am endorsing him to be our next president of the
United States," the actor-turned-politician said.
California is a large prize among the 24 states that hold
nominating contests on "Super Tuesday", February 5. McCain, the
Republican front-runner, already leads the polls over top rival
Mitt Romney in the state.
Republicans and Democrats are involved in a state-by-state
contest to choose their candidates for the November general
election to succeed President George W Bush. The two
Democratic rivals, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, were also
in California on Thursday ahead of an evening debate.
Schwarzenegger, a Republican who governs as a centrist in a
state that has voted Democratic in recent presidential
elections, cited McCain's ability to work with both Democrats
and Republicans as a chief reason why he endorsed the Arizona
senator.
"There are people out there that talk about reaching across
the aisle, but he has shown the action, over and over again,"
Schwarzenegger said.
Schwarzenegger appeared with McCain and former New York
Mayor Rudy Giuliani - who dropped out of the race on Wednesday
and backed McCain - at a solar panel factory, a site picked to
draw attention to McCain's argument that global warming is a
challenge that must be addressed.
McCain's argument that the United States should join in a
"cap and trade" system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is
out of step with conservative Republicans, who fear it would
create a burden for US businesses and hurt economic growth.