California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger found himself on the defensive in his re-election campaign after a recording surfaced of him making racially charged comments about people of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent, describing them as hot-blooded due to their mixed heritage.
The audio, captured during a private cabinet meeting and published by the Los Angeles Times on 8 September 2006, featured Schwarzenegger speaking casually with his chief of staff, Susan Kennedy, about Latina state assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia.
Garcia herself declined to take offense, saying the governor simply recognized her passion for her constituents. Schwarzenegger nonetheless issued a public apology, saying the remarks made him uncomfortable when he saw them in print: "It made me cringe," he said.
His Democratic rival, Phil Angelides, rejected the apology as insufficient, arguing the comments reflected a troubling pattern and that the governor had embarrassed the state.
The controversy arises in a state where more than 30 percent of the population is of Latin origin. Despite the incident, Schwarzenegger remained ahead in polls ahead of the 7 November gubernatorial election.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.