Ex-eBay CEO to run for Calif. governor
By JUDY LIN
Associated Press
January 6, 2009
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- Former eBay Inc. chief executive Meg Whitman plans to run for governor of California, a person with knowledge of her political aspirations said Monday.
The 52-year-old Republican plans to run in 2010 for the seat Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is leaving but is not ready to make a formal announcement, said the person, who was not authorized to talk publicly and spoke Monday on condition of anonymity.
Whitman made the decision while spending time with family over the holidays, and will make the announcement official in four to six weeks, he said.
Henry Gomez, a spokesman for Whitman, said she stepped down from the boards of eBay, Procter & Gamble Co. and DreamWorks SKG last week.
He says it was for "personal reasons and time commitments" but would not elaborate.
The person who said Whitman is planning a gubernatorial run said her resignations are "a strong indication" that she wants to get clear of any commitments that might interfere with a run for political office.
In a statement, John Donahoe, eBay's president and chief executive, praised Whitman's tenure at the head of the online auctioneer.
"Meg's vision and leadership and her passion for the eBay community have helped create economic opportunity for millions of people worldwide and enabled us to build a dynamic portfolio of leading online businesses," he said. "Her experience and insights will be missed, but Meg will always be a part of the eBay family, and we wish her the very best."
Whitman retired last March after 10 years at the helm. A billionaire, she retains a 2 percent ownership stake in eBay.
She most recently served as a national co-chair of John McCain's failed presidential bid and previously had supported former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who lost to McCain in the GOP primary. Whitman and Romney once worked at Bain and Co., a global business consulting firm. Romney later started Bain Capital, the venture capital firm where he made millions.
Whitman is one of three Republicans who are considered front-runners in the 2010 California gubernatorial campaign. The others are state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former Rep. Tom Campbell.
The GOP side of the race is wide open. A November Field Poll found that between two-thirds and three-quarters of registered California voters had no opinion of the potential Republican candidates.
But the poll found that Whitman had the highest favorable rating among the three, at 23 percent.
If Whitman were to win the GOP primary, she would face a well-known Democratic opponent in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by 13 percentage points.
Former Gov. Jerry Brown, now the state's attorney general, is thought to be the leading Democratic candidate if he decides to run. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also are considered potential Democratic contenders.
Schwarzenegger, a Republican, is prohibited from running again under the state's term-limits law and will leave office in January 2011.
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