A few days after Jenner announced she would run for California governor, she received surprising support from the former governor
"Need a vision."
Schwarzenegger and Jenner
Photo:
IPI and IP
A few days after Caitlin Jenner announced she would run for governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who previously served as governor of California, estimated that Jenner had a chance to win the election and become governor of California. He made the remarks in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel's Light Night show.
Jenner, 71, announced last Friday that she would run in the Republican Party for the right to be elected governor of California in place of the current Democratic governor, Gavin Newsm. "I'm in. California is worth fighting for," Jenner declared, adding: "California has been my home for nearly 50 years. I came here because I knew that no matter where he came from or at what stage in his life, he could turn his dreams around. "California residents want more and deserve more. Too long politicians who were driven by mere interests promised too much and did too little. I am the only one who has the power to put an end to the destructive period of their election as governor."
While quite a few people raised an eyebrow at the move (including Jenner’s immediate family members, who did not express support for her political ambitions), Jenner was encouraged by Schwarzenegger, a celeb who himself moved from Hollywood to politics.
"Everyone has a chance at the race because people are very unhappy with the current situation in California," Schwarzenegger, 73, said in an interview with Kimmel.
"I hope as many people as possible will join the race."
Schwarzenegger added that when he first ran for governor more than a decade ago, in 2003, 150 candidates ran against him in the initial round.
According to him, at least 100 candidates will start the race this time as well.
"The most important thing to understand," he said, "is that no matter if it's Caitlin or someone else, you need to have a clear vision of where you want to go and what changes you want to apply. You also need compelling arguments as to why you want to be in the job."
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Caitlyn Jenner (@caitlynjenner)
Kimmel stung and added cynically that Jenner knows exactly what changes she wants to make because she has already made very big changes. This, of course, hints at the gender reassignment of Jenner, who was once Bruce Jenner, the famous Olympic athlete and stepfather of the Kardashian girls. In response to the sting, Schwarzenegger said he and Jenner were very good friends (Jenner served as sports commissioner during Schwarzenegger's tenure as governor of California), but declined to reveal whether they had talked about the race for governor. He added that he is also in friendly relations with the current governor Niosum.
Jenner insiders said she spoke with Schwarzenegger before announcing her joining the race, but declined to provide details on the content of the conversation. Jenner is known as a Republican but she comes to the race when she has no political experience. However she is not the first to make the transition from Hollywood to politics. It was preceded by former US President Ronald Reagan and Schwarzenegger himself.
