Governor positions himself to influence 2008 presidential race

He may be sidelined by the Constitution, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is determined to be a force in the 2008 presidential race, greeting candidates who want his endorsement and popping up in campaign forums where he’s certain to attract notice.

On Tuesday, the governor met privately with Republican candidate Mitt Romney in Sacramento. And Schwarzenegger will attend the GOP debate Thursday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley as a guest of Nancy Reagan.

He has already made joint appearances with Republican candidates John McCain and Rudolph W. Giuliani.

“He’s doing exactly what someone does who has proven to have a very high skill level in politics: Allow yourself to be courted,” said Rich Galen, a Republican political strategist. “That, in the end, gets you the best deal for the state.”

Aides have said the governor may also deliver speeches in Iowa and New Hampshire, using the two crucial campaign battlegrounds to promote his ideas on such topics as curbing global warming and making healthcare coverage more accessible.

Schwarzenegger is in no rush to officially endorse a candidate. His aides and associates say he is likely to wait until a clear front-runner emerges from a murky Republican field -- perhaps after the Iowa caucuses or New Hampshire primary next January.

“I have not at all thought about: Am I going to campaign for somebody?” Schwarzenegger said earlier this year. “Right now I think what we need to do is just look at everybody.

“Let’s see what they have to say, what their approach is, and do they really have a great plan?” the governor said.

Until he settles on a candidate, Schwarzenegger seems happy to keep people guessing. But McCain appears to be the governor’s favorite.

The Arizona senator signed onto Schwarzenegger’s doomed effort to win voter approval for several ballot measures in 2005. In the face of disastrous poll numbers, McCain boarded Schwarzenegger’s campaign bus and rode to campaign rallies, futilely trying to salvage the governor’s “year of reform” agenda. McCain was also a special guest at a Schwarzenegger fund-raising event in Beverly Hills last year, when the governor was running for reelection.

Speaking at the Port of Los Angeles in February, the governor called McCain “a great, great leader.”

But that’s as far as Schwarzenegger would go. And the following month, the governor made a public appearance with Giuliani after a meeting in which they talked about gang violence.

This month, Schwarzenegger seemed to be encouraging Michael R. Bloomberg to jump into the race. He told PBS host Charlie Rose that the New York City mayor was doing “a miraculous job” and would make “an interesting choice” as an independent candidate for president.

Schwarzenegger may feel a kinship with each of the major candidates, making a choice that much more difficult.

“In terms of policy, he’s probably closer to Giuliani,” said former state Sen. Jim Brulte, who advised Schwarzenegger in the 2006 governor’s race. “In terms of wealth, he’s probably closer to Romney. And Fred Thompson is in the same profession he used to be in -- acting,” he said, referring to the actor and former senator who is considering a bid.

“So he’s got something in common with almost every one of these candidates,” Brulte said.

It’s by no means certain that a Schwarzenegger endorsement would translate into votes. He moved to the center two years ago, disappointing the conservatives who carry great weight in the Republican primaries.

And some California Republicans said the governor’s endorsement could alienate voters stewing over his decision to fill top staff jobs with prominent Democrats.

“He’s positioned himself as being outside the Republican Party -- as being post-partisan,” said Mike Schroeder, a former state Republican Party chairman. “And he’s made it clear he really doesn’t have any interest or regard for the Republican Party or Republicans.”

Still, the candidates seem to want the Terminator’s blessing.

“Arnold Schwarzenegger’s help would be of great value to any candidate,” Giuliani said in a radio interview in March. “He’s an extraordinarily popular governor, and beyond all these political labels, he’s a problem-solver in a state that has lots of issues because it’s so big.”

Among the governor’s advisors, there is no consensus on who should be the next president.

Schwarzenegger’s chief fund-raising aide, Marty Wilson, is helping McCain’s presidential bid, as is the governor’s 2006 reelection campaign manager, Steve Schmidt.

Susan P. Kennedy, Schwarzenegger’s chief of staff and most influential aide, turned up at a February fund-raising event for Hillary Clinton in San Francisco.

Vicki Marti, Kennedy’s domestic partner, gave $4,600 to Clinton’s presidential campaign that same month, campaign finance records show.

A Schwarzenegger 2006 reelection campaign aide, Katie Levinson, is now working for Giuliani.

peter.nicholas@latimes.com