Time to terminate governor - Arnie

Arnold Schwarzenegger says he senses “an unbelievable momentum,” in his bid to become Governor of California despite new allegations of sexual harassment and signs of a tightening race.

A poll released over the weekend found Schwarzenegger’s lead among replacement candidates waning with news of harassment claims, but the Republican remained ahead of the pack and voters still favoured removing Governor Gray Davis from office in tomorrow’s election.

Terminator star Schwarzenegger did not address the allegations during his march and rally at the Capitol, his only scheduled public appearance yesterday, but said Davis “has terminated opportunities and now it’s time to terminate him".

“Please bring me the broom,” the Republican told a rally crowd of nearly 5,000. “We are here to clean house.”

Schwarzenegger’s opponents and supporters alike held signs referring to the harassment allegations, from “No groper for governor” and “Say no to Predators” to “Gray groped government” and “Gray groped our assets”.

Four more women surfaced to accuse Schwarzenegger of groping, spanking or touching them inappropriately, bringing the total to 15 since a Los Angeles Times story last Thursday detailed six claims of harassment between 1975 and 2000.

The Times reported that the latest group included an unidentified 51-year-old woman who said Schwarzenegger pinned her to him and spanked her repeatedly three years ago at a West Los Angeles post-production studio.

Three other women named by the Times said Schwarzenegger fondled them in separate incidents outside a Venice gym in the mid-1980s, at a bar in the late 1970s and on the set of the movie “Predator” in 1986.

Schwarzenegger spokesman Sean Walsh dismissed as untrue the accounts of three of the women in the Times’ Sunday story. He said the actor had no recollection of the alleged gym incident.

In a Dateline NBC interview last night, Schwarzenegger said of the allegations, “a lot of it is made-up stories. I’ve never grabbed anyone and pulled up the shirt and grabbed the breast and stuff like that.”

But when asked if he denied all the stories about grabbing, he said, “No, not all. But I’m just saying this is not me.”

Schwarzenegger said he would not say anything more about the harassment claims until after the election.

Schwarzenegger repeated that the harassment allegations and reports that he praised Nazi leader Adolf Hitler as a young man were desperate last-minute politically motivated attacks.

A Knight Ridder poll released late Saturday found support for recalling Davis might be slipping, although 54% favoured removing him while 41% were opposed.

The poll also indicates the race tightening between Schwarzenegger and Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, the leading Democrat among the replacement candidates.

The poll showed Schwarzenegger with 36% support, to 29% for Bustamante. A poll conducted by the Field Research Corp. between September 25 and October 1 gave Schwarzenegger a 10-point lead over Bustamante.