Maria Shriver Remembers Mom
During her husband's tenure as the Governor of California, Shriver was initially tentative in her role as the Governor's wife.[citation needed] Some speculated that she felt that her husband would not attempt to gain the Governor's seat in the recall election that drove Gray Davis from office.[who?] When Arnold announced his candidacy on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, she supported his candidacy. Since Governor Schwarzenegger took office, Maria has continued to support her husband and has taken on several key initiatives as first lady—raising awareness of the contributions of women to the state, working on practical solutions to end cycles of poverty and encouraging all Californians to engage in acts of service to their communities. As her husband proposed a series of California ballot initiatives in November 2005, she decided to forgo any public support of her husband's proposals.[citation needed]
On February 3, 2008, Shriver endorsed Senator Barack Obama for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination. The endorsement was given at a UCLA rally featuring her cousin Caroline Kennedy, Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder and the candidate's spouse, Michelle Obama.Governor Schwarzenegger had previously endorsed Senator John McCain for the Republican presidential nomination a few days earlier on January 31, 2008.
