yes i think people voted for him simply because they liked his movies and his overall cool demeanor and charisma
the kennedy's had nothing to do with his success
E
Most media are left orientated. So being a republican Arnold got a lot better media coverage (or was attacked less by liberal media) because his wife was a democrat.
They didn't like him, but respected her so they were less evil on Arnold.
By all accounts, a very smart move to marry her.
And the Kennedy network is priceless. They know everybody, and anyone that counts knows them. That opened a lot of doors for Arnold.