Los Angeles ? Arnold Schwarzenegger took even his political advisers by surprise when he said he was running for governor, and his candidacy dramatically reshaped the California recall election. But what does he stand for?

While the Austrian-born actor’s accent and trademark quips are familiar to millions, he has offered few clues about how he would handle California’s knotty problems, from a staggering budget deficit to an affordable housing shortage to traffic gridlock.

His public comments Thursday, a day after he announced his candidacy on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” didn’t offer much illumination.

The first question Schwarzenegger faced after picking up candidacy papers at the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder’s office: “What is your plan to cut the state budget?”

“We will have a plan very soon, a detailed plan on how to face those kinds of problems and how to solve those kinds of problems,” he responded. “The important thing to know is that we have a crisis here in California. We have a $38 billion budget deficit that we have to deal with.”

He avoided specifics, saying he wanted to ensure that all Californians had “a great job, a fantastic job” and that he would focus on children’s issues. But the former bodybuilder likely will have to start outlining at least some of his plans in detail if he wants to muscle through a half-dozen seasoned politicians, from Democrats to conservative Republicans, with gubernatorial ambitions as fierce as his own.

Before announcing his candidacy, Schwarzenegger’s lone foray into state politics came last year, when he drafted and successfully championed Proposition 49, a state ballot initiative aimed at dedicating as much as $550 million annually to before- and after-school programs.

“You all know that I am very passionate about children’s issues,” he said. “I’ve been involved in education and after-school programs for 10 years.”

He also focused on political reform, criticizing the influence of special interest groups in the state Capitol.

Democrats immediately attacked Schwarzenegger as inexperienced and not up to the job.

“It’s fine to say you’re going to clean house. It’s another thing to know what you can do and what you can’t do under the California Constitution and the laws that have been established to date,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein told CNN. “And I don’t think people are going to fall for old cliches.”