Ok, we admit it: that California election was fun to watch. When the Iowa governor’s race comes around again, as it always does after regular four-year intervals, it might make us yearn a little for the excitement that Californians have had in recent days. Our race won’t attract swarms of TV cameras and ACLU lawyers. We won’t have a muscle-bound action hero going head-to-head against an inept, uncharismatic bureaucrat. And whoever wins probably won’t be introduced on live national television by Jay Leno, or even Jimmy Kimmel.

With all that said, though, this is one occasion when we’re happy Iowa is not California.

Schwarzenegger’s victory, thankfully, was a happy and clean-cut ending to the race — fitting for an actor who almost always wins at the end of his movies. But the trials of California have just begun and are unlikely to fade as easily as end credits.

Take, for example, the $8 billion deficit that will increase by billions more when Schwarzenegger makes good on his promise to repeal the state vehicle registration taxes. The much-hated taxes, which charged Californians an average of $130 annually per vehicle, is indicative of the desperate measures the state government has had to take to fund public services like police and firefighters. These deep economic problems aren’t going to be fixed by Schwarzenegger simply making hyper-positive promises of ensuring everyone has a “fantastic job.”

Our neighbor to the north, Minnesota, is a relevant case study for demonstrating that a celebrity who is outside-the-box might be less desirable for governor than a run-of-the-mill politician:

Former pro wrestler and Schwarzenegger movie co-star Jesse Ventura rode into the Minnesota’s governor office with record approval ratings and a host of idealistic visions. But his inexperience with politics and incompetence with budget management left him with an approval rating less than 50 percent when he left office. Ventura, whose campaign was more grounded in facts and firm stances than Arnold’s, found out that celebrity and personality wasn’t enough to navigate the gridlock of state politics. How likely is it that Schwarzenegger, who has even less experience coming into office, will be able to turn around a much larger state with much larger problems?

There is nothing in Iowa’s constitution that allows for a recall. And even if there were, it’s doubtful we could find a celebrity more prominent than a retired college football coach to get us to the voting booths. But we’ll gladly keep Gov. Tom Vilsack, faults and all, over a Hollywood hotshot when it comes to taking care of state affairs.