In his first-ever bid for political office, former actor Ronald Reagan was elected governor of California in 1966, defeating two-term incumbent Gov. Pat Brown in a landslide.

Reagan, who was essentially washed up as an actor by the time he ran for governor, had an even longer and more thorough political resume than Schwarzenegger by the time he launched his 1966 campaign.

S tuart K. Spencer, a Republican strategist who took a washed-up movie actor named Ronald Reagan and helped make him California governor and, later, president — helping invent the modern ...

Stuart K. Spencer, a Republican strategist who took a washed-up movie actor named Ronald Reagan and helped make him California governor and, later, president — helping invent the modern ...

California is about to ease into the 2026 race for governor, and if you can pick any of the current candidates from a police lineup, either you work in Sacramento, have an unhealthy obsession with ...

Ronald Reagan’s Sacramento home during governorship ... Ronald and Nancy Reagan were then leased the home in 1967 and the couple lived there through his two terms as California's governor.