US: Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger was hit on the shoulder by an egg as he campaigned for governor at a college campus in California on Wednesday evening, writes Conor O'Clery, North America Editor.
And political observers in California are predicting that the former Mr Universe will have more egg on his face when the campaign for governor is over.
Mr Schwarzenegger's hopes of imitating Ronald Reagan in making the leap from film lot to governor's mansion have taken a knock in the last few days.
The action hero is one of more than 130 candidates vying to replace Democratic governor Gray Davis in the recall election on October 7th and his high profile gave him an initial boost in the polls.
But he has been widely criticised for missing the first debate of the election in San Francisco on Wednesday at which Governor Davis admitted mistakes and his leading rivals put their case to the electorate.
"If you have never held office, you have never run for office and you have rarely voted the least you could do is show up and answer people's questions," the governor said scathingly of the Terminator actor.
California's electors have to vote by over 50 per cent to actually recall Mr Davis on election day and, if the embattled governor survives, then it does not matter who gets most votes on a list of 133 alternatives.
Despite his unpopularity, Mr Davis has gained the support of California's powerful trade unions and has been conducting a strong rearguard campaign which will soon be joined by former President Bill Clinton, immensely popular in the state.
Governor Davis is also getting help from an Internet-based activist group called MoveOn.org which raised $4.1 million last year for congressional candidates and is planning a "movie night" to promote the first Terminator film, where Schwarzenegger plays a bad guy.
The Republicans who initiated the recall campaign are now sceptical that they will be able to beat the Democrats.
Lieut Governor Cruz Bustamante, the leading Democrat trying to replace Mr Davis, has polled unexpectedly well against Mr Schwarzenegger and other Republicans.
The former leader of the California Republican Party, Mr Shawn Steel, who claims he "lit the match" for the recall, admitted the situation was very fluid.
"In California if you have three great Republican candidates and one mediocre Democratic candidate, the Democrat wins," he said.
Instead of going to the debate Mr Schwarzenegger opted to campaign at California State University, Long Beach, where he was hit by the egg. Aides helped him peel off his spattered jacket, and Schwarzenegger continued as if he had not noticed.
Mr Schwarzenegger is also on the defensive for breaking a campaign pledge not to accept donations. He admitted taking cheques from wealthy contributors and companies but said he would not accept money from unions.
However, records posted on a state official's website show that he took $2,500 from one union, the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs.