Report: Meg Whitman to Run for Gov.
Former Ebay exec wants to take Arnold's place
By SAJID FAROOQ
Updated 2:37 PM PST, Wed, Jan 7, 2009
Meg Whitman, the former president and chief executive of eBay, is setting her sights on the most powerful CEO position in California. The former Mitt Romney endorser will announce her intentions to run for governor in four to six weeks, according to reports cited by CNBC. Whitman, who was mentioned by Sen. John McCain as a possible candidate for Secretary of the Treasury, stepped down from the boards of Procter & Gamble, eBay and DreamWorks Animation on Dec. 31, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a Whitman spokesman. Political analysts said the move is another sign that Whitman wants to run for governor of California, which has long been rumored. An unidentified person familiar with the Whitman's intentions told the The Wall Street Journal that an announcement could come in this month. Whitman's spokesman Henry Gomez declined to comment on her political ambitions in the report, saying she stepped down "for personal reasons." Procter & Gamble gave the same spin. Whitman, who Forbes Magazine estimated was worth $1.4 billion in 2007, has long been politically active. She has made numerous political donations to various candidates and political action committees. While she has contributed to both Republican and Democratic beneficiaries, the donations are weighted behind Republican politicians. Whitman's greatest claim to fame is that she joined eBay when it was a small auction website with only 30 employees and turned it into a company with revenues of more than $4 million. She is one of only seven women to be repeatedly ranked among the world's most influential people by Time magazine.
First Published: Jan 5, 2009 1:00 PM PST
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