Meg Whitman Pumps Another $20M into her Campaign

(AP)  Former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman on Monday gave her campaign for the GOP gubernatorial nomination another $20 million, bringing her contributions from her personal fortune to $59 million in what is expected to be the most expensive governor's race in California history.

Whitman has already spent more than $46 million in her quest to beat state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner in the June Republican primary, paying tens of millions to blanket television and radio airwaves with ads introducing herself to California voters.

Photo Gallery: Candidates and Their Cash
Whitman Breaks Calif. Campaign Spending Record
Wiki Site Wants Help Finding Dirt on Meg Whitman

Recent polls show her with a 40- to 50-percentage point lead over Poizner and neck-and-neck with presumed Democratic nominee Jerry Brown in a presumed matchup in next November's general election.

The Poizner and Brown campaigns accused Whitman of trying to buy the election.

"Meg Whitman laughs at the thought of running out of money, while people across California are struggling every day," Poizner spokesman Jarrod Agen said in a statement Monday night.

Poizner is also a multimillionaire who has given his campaign $19 million to date, but had spent only about $3 million as of mid-March. He has said he is saving his resources to mount an aggressive attack against Whitman in the final weeks of the Republican contest.

Brown spokesman Sterling Clifford said Whitman is spending unprecedented money "to fund simplistic sloganeering and attack ads. Her Wall Street money won't be enough to crown herself the Republican nominee or buy the governor's office this November."

Whitman's campaign has said she is willing to spend as much as $150 million of her own money in the race for governor.

Whitman campaign manager Jillian Hasner said that Whitman has also raised $11.8 million from outside contributors.

"Whether it's facing down the powerful public employee unions who are propping up Jerry Brown or our well-financed primary opponent, Meg's campaign will have the resources to fight back," Hasner said in a statement released by the campaign.

Check it our list of other candidates who contributed greatly to their own campaigns..

[rock0223]

Someone said: "I would vote for her, over an insurance commissioner. Having an insurance commissioner as governor would be like having a fox guard the hen house."

*******************

This is a good observation, it is.

[HGOODGUY]

This woman is literally trying to buy an election!!

If the California voters are dumb enough to elect her they deserve it!!!!

[electronicname]

California has to be nuts to even consider the likes of a Republican. You want a hard life then vote for a Republican.

[antoniof123]

Wow, let me see she ran ebay now sinking into the abyss. So why should she get a vote because she is spending money like it is going out of style.

What is wrong with that picture?

[tekjensen]

No one better then a businesswoman to run a state. I mean look how good they did with the economy. What's the worse that can happen by putting those in business to run the country? They are obviously more trustworthy then politicians. It's amazing how a large portion of our population is just asking for rule by corporation. You think you don't have rights now, wait until big business gets done with government. All the while corporations are running with a narrative of government getting bigger people are forgetting so are businesses. Imagine if you shrunk the size of government without taking up the issue of the growing influence of business. Now lets watch as big business makes government look like amateurs.

[retm-w]

I would vote for her, over an insurance commissioner. Having an insurance commissioner as govrnor would be like having a fox guard the hen house.

[wfw3536]

Go Meg and spend as much money as you need to win. California is a mess and it does not need another politican like Brown.

[formrusmcsgt]

Whitman's campaign has said she is willing to spend as much as $150 million of her own money in the race for governor.
--
The question is "why"?

[stn_sage]

Absolutely! You don't spend tens of millions of dollars of your own money to get a job that pays less than a million a year! Unless: 1. you're a kook!, 2. you have a public scam to run (CA is billions in debt!), 3. you have a private scam to run (push to have internet entirely pay, in which you own most of the stock in the company that will handle it), or 4. a mixture of the above. What's her ANGLE?

[sjc_1]

Huffington threw a lot of his own money into his race and lost. The why is that you can make everything more profitable for your rich friends.

[Palin_for_Presidentess]

At some point, pouring your own money into your own campaign starts to work against you as people start to see it as pain ol' buying a public office.

[hateisafourletterword]

As opposed to smoke dope Jerry Brown wanting to turn the state into a hippy paradise. The few good and decent people will be leaving if that moron wins.

[sjc_1]

Jerry Brown was governor of California for 8 years, he was mayor of Oakland and is now California Attorney General. He is the best qualified candidate to do what needs to be done for the state.

[HGOODGUY]

Well said!!!

If there is anything that California does not need, it's another Republican Governor

[hateisafourletterword]

You are both correct. You deserve a democratic governor. Us in the neighboring states look forward to the businesses that will move to our fair states to escape your over-taxed state and then we can all purchase 2nd homes cheap in CA when these people all leave.