Whitman Holds Lead in Cal GOP Gov Race
One day away from California’s gubernatorial primaries, GOP candidate Meg Whitman is carrying a 20 point lead in the polls.
One day away from California’s May 7th gubernatorial primaries and all eyes are on Republican candidates Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman.
While former Senator, and current Democratic candidate, Attorney General Jerry Brown is unopposed by any genuine competition, state Insurance Commissioner, Poizner and former eBay executive, Whitman, have been locked in an aggressive campaign for the Republican Party nomination. Though the Republican candidates have been neck-and-neck throughout the course of the campaign, Whitman has acquired a clear 20.1% lead in recent polls.
During these past few weeks leading up to the election, the Republican candidates have sought to capture the conservative base, which has inspired both Poizner and Whitman to accuse one another of being too “liberal.” While Poizner has engaged in an aggressive ad campaign aimed at portraying Whitman as a RINO (Republican In Name Only), emphasizing her unclear stance on immigration issues, Whitman has focused on Poizner’s previous opposition to Bush’s tax cuts as well as his support of Al Gore during the 2000 presidential race.
In another effort to capture the conservative base, Whitman has succeeded in gaining the support of former presidential candidate Mitt Romney and former California governor, Pete Wilson. Unsurprisingly however, both Whitman and Poizner have sought to distance themselves from moderate Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose six-and-a-half year stint as governor was categorized by unsuccessful budget battles amidst a financial crisis.
Though many believe that Whitman could bring a much-needed breath of fresh air to the distressed California economy given her previous work experience as President and CEO of eBay, there are those who associate her lack of political experience with the unfavorable Schwarzenegger.
Although polls are showing Whitman to be the likely Republican nominee, there’s no doubting that – regardless of tomorrow’s outcome – the 2010 gubernatorial campaign will be forever categorized by vicious ad campaigns and excessive out-of-pocket expenditures with respect to both Poizner and Whitman, who spent a total of $103 million on their campaigns.