Arnold Schwarzenegger declared that he would seek re-election as governor of California in November 2006, after weeks of speculation.

Schwarzenegger, 58, elected on October 7, 2003 in a special recall election which removed sitting Governor Gray Davis from office, declared he wants to "finish the job" he started in the state's highest office and announced he would seek re-election as governor of California.

Schwarzenegger told a crowd of supporters in San Diego on Friday, "I'm going to follow through with this here. I'm not in there for three years. I originally got into this to finish the job. I'm in there for seven years. Yes, I will run for governor."

On October 7, 2003, Schwarzenegger was elected Governor of California under the second question on the ballot with 48.6% of the vote, defeating Democrat Cruz Bustamante, fellow Republican Tom McClintock and others. In total, Arnold won the election by about 1.3 million votes.

But according to recent polls, his job approval ratings have dropped sharply in recent months. A recent nonpartisan Field Poll found that just 36 per cent of California voters are inclined to re-elect Schwarzenegger.