Two GOP tycoons boot up for 2010 California governor's race
Silicon Valley rivals Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner have the personal fortunes to advertise their way to higher name recognition.
Both are strangers to most Californians, and neither possesses the star power of the man whose job they covet, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
But the two Silicon Valley tycoons preparing to battle each other for the Republican nomination in 2010 command fortunes big enough to advertise their way to fame: Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner.
Both have hired top strategists in recent days. Whitman, a new arrival to California politics, introduced herself to lawmakers at the state Capitol last week. And Poizner, now state insurance commissioner, foreshadowed the clash ahead with an apparent swipe at Whitman, saying in an interview that the state cannot rely on "rookies" in a crisis.
The high-tech rivals are both out-of-state transplants -- Whitman a New Yorker, Poizner a Texan. Each led tech companies that rocketed to the top of their fields. Whitman was chief executive of EBay, the Internet auction giant. Poizner founded SnapTrack Inc., a pioneer in putting satellite positioning devices in mobile phones.
They are unconventional Republicans. Neither hails from the party's conservative wing. Both support abortion rights, a potential flash point in the primary that leaves an opening for the type of candidate the party has most often embraced.
"If a genuine conservative candidate emerges, I think they'll have a tough time defeating that person," said Terry Christensen, a political science professor at San Jose State.
None has yet surfaced, so for now money makes Whitman and Poizner the most viable GOP contenders in a state where campaigns are notoriously expensive. A third Republican weighing a run, Tom Campbell, represented the Silicon Valley in Congress for nearly a decade but lacks the money to pose a major threat.
Should Whitman or Poizner capture the nomination in June 2010, the ensuing contest against a Democrat would also prove daunting. Apart from Schwarzenegger, California has snubbed Republicans in top races for more than a decade. The Democratic field could include Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown and Mayors Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles and Gavin Newsom of San Francisco; U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has not ruled out a bid.
Even with their electoral advantage, Democrats risk producing a wounded nominee after a brutal primary and are casting a wary eye at Whitman and Poizner. Each has tens -- perhaps hundreds -- of millions to lavish on a campaign. Either could replicate Schwarzenegger's success in running as a fiscal conservative and social moderate, and a check on the liberal Legislature.
