Arnie is The Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger stormed to victory today as the new governor of California.

Within moments of the polls closing, American TV news networks were naming the Terminator star an easy winner as voters threw out the sitting Democrat governor, Gray Davis.

Amid scenes of wild celebration, Schwarzenegger pledged he would not let people down, telling supporters: "Everything I have is because of California. I came here with absolutely nothing and California has given me absolutely everything, and today California has given me the greatest gift of all. You have given me your trust by voting for me.

"I will do everything I can to live up to that trust. I will not fail you, I will not disappoint you and I will not let you down."

From the moment the polls closed, it was apparent it would be a night of triumph for the Hollywood actor in his new role as a rising star of the Republican party. Exit polls showed a strong majority of Californians wanted to oust the Democrat Davis and less than two hours after polls closed, he conceded defeat to his rival in a telephone call.

The result means the all-action hero will take charge of the fifth biggest economy in the world. But the honeymoon period is likely to be very short for the novice politician, as the Golden State faces the prospect of tax rises to combat an enormous hole in its finances.

But as Schwarzenegger made his acceptance speech amid a hailstorm of red white and blue ticker tape, there was only massive optimism.

He used the speech to position himself as a new breed of politician listening to the voices of real people. Ditching the corny Terminator catchphrases of his campaign, he vowed: "For the people to win, politics as usual must lose."

Promising to make California the "greatest state of the greatest country in the world", he told supporters: "I want to reach out to everybody, to young and old, rich and poor, people races, all colours and all nationalities. I want to be the governor for the people, I want to represent everybody."

The margin of Schwarzenegger's victory was more than enough to sweep aside concerns raised in the final days by allegations that he had sexually harassed women.

In the first part of the special recall election, voters took their revenge on Governor Davis, who is blamed for economic mismanagement that has left California's budget over £20 billion in the red. An exit poll from CNN showed 54 per cent in favour of a recall and a margin almost as great for electing the actor.

The scale of his victory was evident even in the Democrat stronghold of Los Angeles, where the recall ballot, which should have been heavily in favour of Davis, was too close to call.

The result is the next stage of extraordinary journey for Schwarzenegger, born a poor Austrian farm boy who arrived in the US as a champion bodybuilder, then became a Hollywood star with the film Total Recall and the Terminator series.

His campaign was backed by his wife Maria Shriver, a TV presenter who is a niece of former President Kennedy. Ironically, he becomes the first elected Republican in America's most powerful political dynasty.

In the final days of his campaign, Schwarzenegger was forced on the defensive by newspaper interviews with more than 15 women who claimed they had been groped and abused by him over a period of 30 years.

They included British TV presenter Anna Richardson who claimed he had touched her breast during an interview at the Dorchester hotel three years ago.

In what was seen by his supporters as a smear campaign, an interview from the Seventies also surfaced in which he praised Hitler as a "good public speaker".

Schwarzenegger's decision to enter politics turned what would have been a domestic political spat into a contest that drew attention across the world. About 10 million Californians - a record for the state - voted in the poll.

The final result will not be official declared for 39 days while postal ballots are checked.

Angry Democrats already plotting their revenge, saying they may now launch another recall petition.