Meg Whitman

Already attacked for past support of environmental causes, Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman’s conservative credentials took another blow Tuesday when it was disclosed that her charitable foundation donated $1.15 million to a Colorado group that supported seizing private property for open space. Tax returns from 2008, filed this week, also show the Griffith R. Harsh IV and Margaret C. Whitman Charitable Foundation foundation lost about $27 million, mostly in eBay stock — more than half its original value of $48 million. Nearly all of her $1.39 million in charitable contributions went to environmental causes. She gave $200,000 to the Environmental Defense Fund for a ... Read Full Story

A new Field Poll shows California Attorney General Jerry Brown with a strong lead in next year's race for governor, even before he's declared himself a candidate and despite months of campaigning by his Democratic rival and three Republicans vying for their party's nomination. The poll released Thursday found that Brown, the former governor, or fellow Democrat Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco, would fare well against any of the three Republicans. It found that half of Republican voters had yet to make up their minds in the contest between former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman, former congressman Tom Campbell and state Insurance ... Read Full Story

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman said Tuesday that it wasn't until she was a chief executive in Silicon Valley that she realized why she should vote after sitting out elections for decades. Whitman sought to explain her spotty voting record for the first time after delivering a speech to a Republican women's group. "I was focused on raising a family, on my husband's career, and we moved many, many times," she told reporters. "It is no excuse. My voting record, my registration record, is unacceptable." During the state GOP convention in Indian Wells last weekend, Whitman repeatedly refused to answer questions about her voting ... Read Full Story

California Republicans gathering this weekend for their state convention do so against a familiar backdrop: the picture of a party in decline and struggling to find its way in an increasingly diverse state. How the party will address its predicament will play out all weekend in a desert resort near Palm Springs. Insiders will try to craft more effective voter registration campaigns and a strategy to draw more women and minorities. But the main attraction will be the three candidates seeking to succeed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger when he is termed out of office after next year. Former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman, state Insurance ... Read Full Story

Meg Whitman, former President and CEO of EBay, speaks on day three of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Xcel Energy Center on September 3, 2008 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The GOP will nominate U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) as the Republican choice for U.S. President on the last day of the convention. (Getty Images) more pics » Meg Whitman , 53, has never held a public office, but the experience she does have gives her a head start over many people who have. As the former CEO of Internet auction site eBay, Whitman is an astute businesswoman who's worth an estimated $1 ... Read Full Story