Arnie gets strong support for governor role

HOLLYWOOD superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger is in his strongest position yet in his bid to become the next Governor of California, a poll has revealed.

The muscle-bound Republican would win 40% of the vote, way ahead of closest rival Lieutenant Governor Cruz Bustamante, a Democrat with the support of 25% of voters.

The opportunity to appoint the Terminator star will only be given to the people of California if they choose to recall or remove from office current governor, Democrat Gray Davis.

His position looks increasingly unstable, with the poll compiled by Gallup for CNN and USA Today showing 63% of voters would say yes to the recall.

Some 35% would vote no. Mr Davis needs at least 50% in his favour to survive. Embattled Mr Davis has come under fierce criticism for his handling of the state economy, which faces a massive budget deficit.

Among the other top candidates are Republican state senator Tom McClintock. who got 18%, Green Party candidate Peter Camejo with 5% and columnist and independent candidate Arianna Huffington with 2%.

In all there are 135 candidates standing for election if Mr Davis is recalled, including a plethora of single-issue campaigners and even a porn star.

The latest poll was taken in the days following a live TV debate between the top five candidates.

Mr Schwarzenegger's performance was largely seen as a success, although he repeatedly clashed with Huffington, suggesting at one point he had a role for her in the next Terminator movie.

Ms Huffington, who has accused Mr Schwarzenegger of having a poor attitude towards women, claimed he was referring to a Terminator scene where Mr Schwarzenegger forces a female robot's head into a toilet bowl.

Polls taken before the debate put Mr Schwarzenegger and Mr Bustamante much closer.