California may be home to Hollywood, but the state has a long history of electing non-celebrity, charisma-challenged governors. Dull and dutiful could be a successful recipe once more in 2026.

Stuart K. Spencer, a Republican strategist who took a washed-up movie actor named Ronald Reagan and helped make him California governor and, later, president — helping invent the modern political consulting business along the way — has died.

When President Jimmy Carter ran for reelection in 1980, he had to compete against former California Gov. Ronald Reagan. It

The governor suspended the landmark environmental law to allow victims of wildfires to rebuild their destroyed properties faster.

From reality stars to movie stars, these luminaries left the entertainment industry and ventured into the political space holding prominent roles in government in what’s become a phenomenon through the years.

In March 1965, a washed-up B-movie actor dialed a couple of young Republican operatives and invited them to lunch at his home in Pacific Palisades. Ronald Reagan was thinking of trying his hand at politics: a long-shot bid for California governor against a sitting Democrat.

Stuart K. Spencer, a Republican political consultant who engineered Ronald Reagan’s winning campaigns for the California governor’s office and the U.S. presidency, transforming a B-movie actor into one of the most successful politicians of his time,

Stuart K. Spencer, the California political strategist who guided Ronald Reagan's ascent from Hollywood to the governor's mansion, and ultimately to the presidency, has died at age 97.

Ronald Reagan ordered three-and-a-half tons of Jelly Belly jelly beans for his 1981 inauguration, and the candy maker crafted a new flavor just for the event.

But even Harris and Porter, as well known as they are, lack anywhere near the candlepower of the two most famous bold-faced names who were elected California governor, Ronald Reagan and Arnold ...

Spencer helped invent the modern political consulting business with its emphasis on TV-centric campaigning. In a Republican Party that turned sharply rightward and more combative, Spencer was a ...