"Now, I know youre a Republican, but I hope you wont go out on the trail and act like a politician," advises Ventura, former wrestler, actor and governor of Minnesota. "People dont like politicians."
Ventura's advice for Schwarzenegger is featured in TIME's cover story, "Ahhnold!?" along with a TIME/CNN poll of California voters and the inside story of his decision to run for governor, told by TIME's national political correspondent Karen Tumulty with reporting by Los Angeles bureau chief Terry McCarthy and others.
"Dont worry if you dont know the answer to every question asked," Ventura tells Schwarzenegger. "Just say, I dont know, if you dont know. When I did this during my campaign in Minnesota, people were amazed. How revolutionary--a politician who stands in front of the people and doesnt feed them pre-canned answers!"
"Think about what you want to say, and talk from your heart. Scripts are for actors," Ventura offers.
"Plenty of the old Republican gang will come around and want to be your new best friend. Thats fine, but let them know that you are in government to solve problems, not to help them hold on to their power," Ventura writes in TIME.