Throughout his life, Arnold Schwarzenegger has faced many challenges. When he took on professional bodybuilding, Schwarzenegger had to struggle to maintain a diet because of the non-availability of many products. As he switched careers to acting, Arnold had to face negative comments because of his tough to understand accent. And while stepping into politics, he faced a lot of backlash from numerous people who claimed the move might not be a good fit for him.

When Arnold ran for office, he was not the only one facing a challenge. His ex-wife, Maria Shriver, also came under the radar and had a perfectly justifiable reaction to the news.

Maria Shriver did not want Arnold Schwarzenegger running for office

In 2003, former Mr. Olympia champ and Hollywood sensation Arnold Schwarzenegger made a surprising announcement. He decided to run for the Governor of California, making a major switch in his career for the second time. While the masses were torn in opinion over the same, the then-leading lady in Arnold’s life made her opinion clear.

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Speaking about the same in an interview, Schwarzenegger mentioned he thought Maria would be happy with the decision. He thought Maria would welcome him to the political club, given her background. But he could not have been more wrong. Shriver wanted nothing to do with politics and did not want Arnold to be a part of that world. Schwarzenegger said, “she started shaking. And she had tears in her eyes. I realize that I was stepping into something that was much deeper than just me running and her being a supportive wife.”

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But Maria paid heed to her mother’s advice and stood in strong support of her husband. Subsequently, Arnold won the 2003 elections to replace Gary Davis as the governor of California. He ran for office again in 2006 and won the election yet again.

Maria’s dark past with politics

Maria Shriver is the daughter of one of the most popular political families in the US- the Kennedy family. Having spent almost all of her childhood in a political household, Shriver was familiar with the ins and outs of the world.

During a conversation with her long-time friend, Oprah Winfrey, Maria opened up about her trauma related to politics. Maria said her experience with politics was one of loss. Her father (Sargent Shriver) lost the vice presidential bid on the McGovern-Shriver ticket in 1972. “The rejection of my father was so painful, so personal; I remember the sting of that defeat.” In 1976, Maria’s father tried running for President but had no luck.

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The success of Arnold did not help Maria with her professional life, though. She was let go from her job as a journalist with NBC, as they thought it would be a conflict of interest if they aired her. While we keep our focus on Arnold’s tremendous successes, we often forget to pay heed to the effects it had on those close to him. As the leading lady in Arnold’s life for over 30 years, Maria Shriver would always be the first person in the line of attack.