Arnie recruits top campaign team

Schwarzenegger has earned a fortune from his film career

Arnold Schwarzenegger has assembled a team of seasoned political operatives in his campaign to run for governor of California.

He has recruited George Gorton, Richard Dresner and Joe Shumate, a team well-known and well-respected in political circles.

He has a lot of empathy for people who have come here for a better way of living, whether they have gotten here legally or illegally George Gorton, campaign manager

Schwarzenegger is challenging the current governor, Democrat Gray Davis, who faces an unprecedented recall election in October because of his handling of the state's spiralling budget deficit.

His campaign team includes some of the strategists who helped former California governor Pete Wilson get elected to two terms in the 1990s.

Mr Dresner, a New York-based consultant and pollster, once worked for the Conservative Party in Britain, as well as Bill Clinton before he became US president.

Meanwhile, in the first glimpse of Schwarzenegger's stand on policy, his campaign team revealed that he had voted for a 1994 ballot measure to deny social services to illegal immigrants.

Details of the vote were revealed by Mr Gorton, his campaign manager.

He said it would not prevent the Austrian-born actor reaching out to all voters.

"He has a lot of empathy for people who have come here for a better way of living, whether they have gotten here legally or illegally," he said. "But he definitely feels that people should get here legally."

As the official race began, it was disclosed that Schwarzenegger had earned more than $50m (£31m) in two years.

The actor's tax returns, made public at a news conference, showed he earned $31m (£19m) in 2000 and paid more than $10m (£6.2m) in state and federal taxes.

He also made charitable donations of close to $5m (£3m).