Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman handily won the Republican nomination for Governor. She received roughly 64 percent of the vote to Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner’s 26 percent Tuesday.
Whitman now faces Democratic Attorney General Jerry Brown in November. The general election campaigning has already begun.
Whitman is the first female Republican nominee for California Governor. She was jubilant as she declared victory and called herself “battle-tested” after a bruising primary. But she wasted no time in beginning her campaign against Democrat Jerry Brown.
“Jerry Brown has spent a lifetime in politics and the results have not been good. Failure seems to follow Jerry Brown everywhere he goes,” said Whitman.
Whitman, a billionaire, donated around $70 million of her own money to help nab the nomination. She’s said she’s willing to double that spending in the general election. Attorney General Jerry Brown reminded the crowd at his victory party that he’s “done this before.”
He was Governor back in the 1970s and 80s, before term limits. He also slammed the idea that a “rich and restless” candidate could simply decide to be Governor without any experience.
Brown has more than $20 million in the bank. With no real primary competition, he was able to conserve resources for the general election.
