Is California Sold on Governor Meg Whitman?

Former eBay boss Meg Whitman is a socially moderate Republican with celebrity status, high name recognition and money to burn. But does California want Governator II?

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Justin Stephens for TIME

Former eBay boss Meg Whitman

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Whitman's relationship with the press has been strained — some might say tortured — thus far. She is known for taking only a handful of queries after campaign events before being whisked away, and her press handlers aren't shy about interrupting her conversations with journalists. Her opponents scream about the fact that she won't debate them; they have already faced off four times, while Whitman has committed to just one debate in March. "She's clearly one of those people who likes to study and study an issue, really have an in-depth comfort zone with something, and then move forward," says Jon Fleischman, a vice chairman, south, of the California Republican Party who characterizes Whitman as "a little bit awkward" when interacting with the media. "It's O.K. to do that in business, but politics tends to be more spontaneous."

The Road to Sacramento
The downside of Whitman's trial-by-fire learning process became obvious when she confronted the first major hiccup of her campaign. The Sacramento Bee reported in late September that Whitman had barely voted during her adult life and questioned whether she had registered as a Republican at all before 2007. The story quickly swirled into a scandal, and during a heated press conference, Whitman floundered as she tried to sidestep the questions, a beginner's mistake in a statewide race:

"What I've said is, There is no excuse for my voting record," Whitman repeated over and over, like a highly coached robot. "Leaders need to stand up and acknowledge their mistakes."

"Did you ever register as a Republican before 2007?" asked a reporter.

"So what I have said is that I did not vote as often as I should ..."

"But the question is why?"

"What I have said is, It was not the right thing to do."

"But why?" came a torrent of shouts. "Why can't you answer the question?"

Whitman later said she was "focused on raising a family" as well as "on my husband's career" by way of explanation of her spotty record, even as it trickled out that her voting history was slightly better than initially depicted. Not surprisingly, the "working mother" excuse sent feminists into a tizzy and created doubts for some of Whitman's base of Republican women. "I raised a family and ran a business and still managed to vote," sniffed Elaine Henderson, who went to hear Whitman speak in Rancho Mirage. "I'm just not happy with her explanation. I'd like the truth. If she wasn't interested in politics, that's O.K."

And yet Whitman could still overcome both ideology and history to win. Her opponents for the GOP nomination, former Congressman Tom Campbell and state insurance commissioner Steve Poizner, throw her strengths and weaknesses into stark relief. Campbell is the kindly, well-versed uncle in the race and probably the most qualified candidate for the job. If Hollywood was casting for a man to play a governor in a movie, it would tap someone more like Campbell — with a moderate bent, a conservative suit and five terms in Congress representing Silicon Valley districts — than Arnold Schwarzenegger. When asked what distinguishes him from Whitman, Campbell says, "Experience. Government experience." But there is one other big difference: he doesn't have a lot of money to spend in the most politically expensive state in the U.S.

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