US: Arnold Schwarzenegger was greeted by a roaring crowd at the celebration party in a Los Angeles after he was declared winner of California's chaotic recall election, writes Conor O'Clery in Sacramento.
Gone was the open-neck shirt that revealed a glimpse of rippling neck muscles on the sunny campaign trail. Instead he wore a blue silk power tie, symbolising the transformation from revolutionary leader to head of the establishment.
We had another glimpse of the Terminator as legislator a few hours earlier when the hulking movie star donned a pair of wire-rimmed reading spectacles to find his name on the ballot paper. He found it easily as it was the longest, he said.
The governor-elect was fittingly introduced at the victory party by comedian Jay Leno, on whose Tonight show the Austrian-born actor announced his candidacy on August 6th. Mr Schwarzenegger's triumph, said Leno, was "testament to how important one appearance on the Tonight show can be".
It wasn't a joke. Mr Schwarzenegger used popular television to enormous effect in his campaign, trading on his celebrity to get on to Access Hollywood, Oprah and Larry King, and avoiding in- depth interviews with political reporters. This strategy made a big impact on a state which has elected entertainment figures before - Ronald Reagan as governor, Sonny Bono as congressman and Clint Eastwood as mayor of Carmel.
At another hotel, Mr Davis was presiding over a wake. He started the day with Mass at the church of the Good Shepherd in Beverley Hills where he admitted to praying to St Jude, the patron saint of lost causes, who didn't come through for him.
"It's not the end of the world, just the end of the world as we know it," said his political strategist Garry South as he comforted a weeping supporter.
Mr Davis's wife Sharon and 80- year-old mother Doris Morell also wept openly as the defeated governor joked bravely that "there is a no- crying zone on this stage".
He admitted to being aloof and distant to voters but as one of the least telegenic politicians in history, he had little chance against the overwhelming screen presence of his opponent.
There was also a wake-like atmosphere at the Sheraton Grand in the state capital, Sacramento, where lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante conceded defeat. He at least keeps his job and will now be Mr Schwarzenegger's deputy.
He had some advice for the governor-elect. "You make films all over the world," he said. "I want you to continue to do that. I'll be here keeping an eye on things."
One other loser was celebrating as the results came out. Larry Flynt, publisher of Hustler magazine, who turned up in his gold-plated wheelchair to vote, attracted over 12,000 votes, putting him in seventh place out of 135. Just four places behind him was porn star Mary Carey. Something for political analysis on another day.