GOVERNATOR FOR HARRIS: California’s most famous Republican figure today threw his might behind Vice President Kamala Harris less than a week before Election Day. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger dropped a lengthy X post telling his millions of fans he’s voting for Harris, even though he doesn’t like Democrats or Republicans right now. “It is probably not a surprise that I hate politics more than ever, which, if you are a normal person who isn’t addicted to this crap, you probably understand,” Schwarzenegger said. (Apologies for the slight burn to our fellow politics obsessives.) Schwarzenegger was biting in his assessment of former President Donald Trump — not even diet soda came away unscathed. The former governor called Trump a “candidate who won’t respect your vote unless it is for him, a candidate who will send his followers to storm the Capitol while he watches with a Diet Coke, a candidate who has shown no ability to work to pass any policy besides a tax cut that helped his donors and other rich people like me but helped no one else else.” Schwarzenegger joins a group of Republican leaders publicly backing Harris because of their distaste for Trump. Former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, former Rep. Liz Cheney, are perhaps the most well-known members of this club. The former governor late last year bemoaned the 2024 rematch between President Joe Biden and Trump, telling POLITICO, “we need new blood.” Schwarzenegger said today he’s voting for Harris because he is “an American before I am a Republican.” “I’m sharing it with all of you because I think there are a lot of you who feel like I do,” he wrote. “You don’t recognize our country. And you are right to be furious.” Beloved California Republicans are hard to come by these days (at least, those who are still living), but Schwarzenegger is as close as it gets. He led the state during a bygone era when the GOP actually had some power in Sacramento, and the two parties were forced to engage on budget and policy issues. The former actor and bodybuilder typically uses his bipartisan clout to advocate for independent redistricting and to fight climate change. And, as Republican strategist Mike Madrid pointed out in an X post, Schwarzenegger is very popular with men, a lacking Harris demographic. While his vote won’t have much of an impact in blue California, the vice president’s team is likely hoping it will help them elsewhere. Harris personally sought Schwarzenegger’s support, our Chris Cadelago reported today, asking for his help during a recent phone conversation. Even her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, connected with Schwarzenegger after his vice presidential debate — though he did not directly ask for an endorsement at the time. Not all Republican celebrities are following the former governor’s lead. Some are still declaring their last-minute allegiance to Trump, even as he closes his campaign with racist and fear-mongering rhetoric. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin today endorsed the former president in his own long X post , saying Trump “revitalized interest in Space, and his Administration reignited national efforts to get back to the Moon, and push on to Mars.” With six days left until ballots are due, it remains to be seen if any endorsement will reach, let alone sway, voters. IT’S WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@politico.com.
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