Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger coasted to a second term Tuesday, after a campaign in which he promised to rebuild California, and wound up rebuilding himself.

Democrat Phil Angelides, 53, the bespectacled state treasurer who argued that the state needed a new face, not a celebrity sequel, suffered from campaign missteps, inadequate cash and lackluster party support.

The Republican governor’s popularity collapsed along with his grand scheme to realign political power in Sacramento, and Schwarzenegger was forced to ponder the possibility that his first term might be his last.

But the former muscleman and Hollywood star admitted mistakes and changed course. Aided by a rolling state economy, his campaign won back Democratic and independent support by blending Reaganesque optimism with a return to the middle-ground politics that helped propel him to office amid the historic recall of Gov. Gray Davis in 2003.

“He’s more in the middle. He’s not really extreme,” said Schwarzenegger supporter Marko Koosel, 35, a San Francisco engineer who called himself a pro-environment, anti-war independent.

Hollywood and political celebrities including Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Julia Roberts got involved in campaigning for Proposition 87, which would tax companies drilling for oil in California. The money from the tax would be set aside to promote clean energy.