Meg Whitman, the former chief executive officer of eBay Inc., announced she has formed an exploratory committee to prepare for the California governor election to succeed Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2010.
Whitman, a 52-year-old Republican, resigned from eBay’s board and those of Procter & Gamble Co. and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. last month in order to clear her schedule for the campaign. Her electoral team includes some of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s staff from his run for the Republican nomination for president.
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“California faces challenges unlike any other time in its history — a weak and faltering economy, massive job losses, and an exploding state budget deficit,” Whitman said in a statement. “California is better than this, and I refuse to stand by and watch it.”
Whitman will face another former Silicon Valley executive in the Republican primary. California insurance commissioner Steve Poizner, who founded SnapTrack Inc., a business that was acquired in 2000 by Qualcomm Inc., has also formed an exploratory committee. Setting one up clears the way for raising money and setting up a campaign organizations.
Poizner and Whitman would seek to replace Schwarzenegger, who can’t seek re-election in 2010 because of term-limit laws.
Whitman joins a growing list of potential successors to Schwarzenegger, including U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and state Attorney General and former Gov. Jerry Brown, both Democrats. Brown, who championed energy efficiency and farm labor rights as governor from 1975 to 1983, said in a Bloomberg interview on Feb. 3 that he is “seriously” considering running in November 2010.
Whitman stepped down as eBay CEO in March and remained as a paid adviser to John Donahoe, her replacement. She joined the presidential campaign of Republican John McCain that same month as national co-chairwoman.
