With his friend Rudy Giuliani now out of the race, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to endorse John McCain tomorrow, the Los Angeles Times reports. The governor promised recently not to take sides, but aides say things have changed now that Giuliani has dropped out. Schwarzenegger considers both men close friends and was reluctant to choose between the two, an aide says.
The endorsement, which he is putting off until tomorrow so as not to distract attention from tonight's GOP debate, is expected to give McCain an extra boost in California, where he already leads. The state votes next week as part of Super Tuesday. "If he was ever going to endorse, now's the time to do it," one analyst said. (More Arnold Schwarzenegger stories.)