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Schwarzenegger hires former Wilson aides for campaignWarren Buffett tapped as financial adviser
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger pumped up his campaign Wednesday, appointing billionaire investor Warren Buffett as his senior financial and economic adviser, and the one-time chief-of-staff of former Republican Gov. Pete Wilson as a top political adviser. Buffett, a Democrat who is considered one of the world's greatest investors, is the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, an insurance and investment firm. "I have known Arnold for years and know he'll be a great governor. It is critical to the rest of the nation that California's economic crisis be solved, and I think Arnold will get that job done," Buffett said in a news release. Buffett will help Schwarzenegger, who is running as a Republican, bring together other prominent business leaders and economists to advise Schwarzenegger on economic issues, the release said. A campaign aide said Buffett is not being paid for his services. Bob White, who was Wilson's chief of staff, will be a key political adviser, said Sean Walsh, Schwarzenegger's spokesman. In addition, two other Wilson aides, Patricia Clarey and Martin Wilson, have been hired to handle the day-to-day operations of the campaign, Walsh said. George Gorton will remain the campaign manager, and Walsh said the new appointments should not be seen as a demotion for Gorton. "This is simply staffing up the campaign to serve the needs of the candidate," Walsh said. "We're simply adding a team of individuals who have won four statewide races in a row." Since announcing his candidacy last week, Schwarzenegger has emerged as the front-runner in the race to replace Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, should voters recall him on October 7. He has come under fire, however, from some rivals because he has not articulated his campaign positions, nor said how he would solve California's fiscal woes. --CNN Producer Traci Tamura contributed to this report.
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