CA Treasurer Wants to Terminate Arnold !

Vowing a sharply different agenda than Republican California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, state Treasurer Phil Angelides, a Democrat, said on Tuesday he would seek his party's nomination for governor of the Golden State .

Angelides told a rally at a San Francisco elementary school he plans to run as the "anti-Arnold," a reputation he has diligently cultivated in the state capital of Sacramento since Schwarzenegger took office.

Angelides, who had long said he would run for governor, is the first major state official to throw his hat into the ring. Schwarzenegger's has yet to say if he will seek re-election, but Angelides assumes he will.

"It's a choice between two vastly different visions of our future, two sharply opposing sets of values," Angelides told supporters. "I'm proud that I've stood up to this governor, that I've been called the 'anti-Arnold."'

Angelides said he launched his campaign far in advance of the 2006 election because Schwarzenegger's movie star celebrity dominates the state's politics. However, a more immediate task for Angelides is to secure Democratic support.

A recent Field Poll of party primary voters found Angelides trailing four potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates. Actor-producer Rob Reiner was the top choice followed by state Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

Global Arnold Staff