Whitman Launches Bid for CA Governor

Fullerton (myFOXla.com) - Seven months after beginning an exploratory campaign, former eBay Chief Executive Officer Meg Whitman announced her candidacy today for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.

"The time has come for all of us to take a stand, to make an all-out effort to reclaim the California we love," Whitman told supporters in Fullerton. "And that is why today I'm here before you to officially announce my candidacy for governor of the state of California."

Whitman said her top priority as governor would be to create jobs, repeating her previous goal of creating at least 2 million private sector jobs by 2015.

"This is the amount we need if we're going to replace the jobs our economy has stopped producing or is losing to neighboring states," Whitman said. "It's the target we need to hit if we're going to restore prosperity."

To create jobs, Whitman would cut taxes to give businesses the incentive to invest, expand and hire more workers; streamline regulations and modify workplace rules to ensure that California is more competitive than other states; and build a "world-class" infrastructure to meet the state's water, energy and transportation demands.

Whitman also supports creating a reliable energy transmission system, reducing the cost of energy and making the state more energy independent.

She has called for reducing the state workforce by 40,000. That proposal has drawn skepticism because it would likely need the approval of the Legislature, which is expected to remain under Democratic control following the 2010 election.

Whitman also supports reducing the state's debt before starting new programs or expanding government functions.

On education, Whitman would grade each school A to F to help parents easily determine how well their children's schools are doing; allow parents to move their children out of failing schools; insist on a "vibrant testing program" to measure student performance; give higher pay to outstanding teachers and those in mathematics and science; and automatically convert schools that fail to improve after three years to charter schools.

Several of Whitman's education proposals would likely draw strong opposition from the state's politically powerful teachers unions.

"The potential of our state and her people has never been greater," Whitman said. "For generations, Californians have shown that they're wired for innovation, courage, creativity and compassion. Our struggles have been the struggles of our nation, and California's success has defined the American experience."

Whitman, 53, joined eBay in 1998, when it had 30 employees and a little over $4 million in revenue. By the time she resigned last year as president and chief executive officer, it had more than 15,000 employees and nearly $8 billion in revenue.

Before joining eBay, she held executive positions at Procter & Gamble, Bain & Co., the Walt Disney Co., Stride Rite Corp., FTD, and Hasbro.

Whitman was a national finance co-chair for Mitt Romney's unsuccessful campaign for the Republican presidential nomination last year, then became a national co-chair for Sen. John McCain's campaign.

Both McCain and Romney have endorsed Whitman, as has former Gov. Pete Wilson, who is Whitman's campaign chairman.

Whitman is expected to face Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former Rep. Tom Campbell in the June primary in an effort to succeed fellow Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is barred from seeking re-election because of term limits.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has already declared his candidacy for the Democratic nomination. Attorney General Jerry Brown, who was governor from 1975-83, is also expected to seek the Democratic nomination.

Jarrod Agen, spokesman for the Poizner campaign, said Whitman's economic proposals will not fix the state's economy.

"Meg can't stop announcing she is running for governor, and Jerry Brown won't announce he is running for governor," Agen said. "What would really benefit the citizens of California is if they would start announcing real solutions to the problems the state faces. The Whitman CEO strategy of writing big checks and massive layoffs is not going to rebuild California, but Steve Poizner's tax-cutting plan will create jobs and reignite the economy."

Campbell said he is still waiting to hear some specifics about Whitman's economic strategy, beyond "her proposal to fire state employees, which would save only a small fraction of what's needed to close the budget gap."

"Meg Whitman has had more than two months since the governor and the Legislature agreed to a budget deal that specified about $12 billion in real spending cuts," Campbell said. "At the very least, she might have gone through that list, agreeing or disagreeing. Instead, voters are left with just a promise that she will find $15 billion, one way or another."

Whitman is making her first run for public office. Seven of the past nine governors had previously won statewide office, with Ronald Reagan and Schwarzenegger the exceptions.

The California Republican Party has never nominated a woman to run for governor while California has never elected a woman governor.

Whitman's gubernatorial bid evokes memories of former Northwest Airlines Co-Chairman Al Checchi's bid for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1998; he lost even though he widely outspend Gray Davis, who went on to win his party's nomination and the general election.

"She claims she will cut spending by $15 billion without saying where," said California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton. "She says she will reduce the state workforce by 40,000 people without saying whether they will be firefighters, teachers, CHP officers, prison guards or college professors."