Arnold Schwarzenegger never served as governor.
Arnold Schwarzenegger . Schwarzenegger was nicknamed `` the Austrian Oak '' in his bodybuilding days , `` Arnie '' during his acting career , and `` The Governator '' ( a portmanteau of `` Governor '' and `` The Terminator '' ) during his political career . He was then re-elected on November 7 , 2006 , in the 2006 California gubernatorial election , to serve a full term as governor , defeating Democrat Phil Angelides , who was California State Treasurer at the time .