Poizner makes it official: He's running

SacBee: Capitol Alert ^ | 9/15/8 | Shane Goldmacher

[SmithL]

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner made official Monday what's been expected for months: He's running for governor in 2010.

The state's only Republican statewide officeholder besides Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he will file paperwork today to open an exploratory committee to succeed Schwarzenegger in two years. The move is the first formal step taken to enter the race.

"I am taking the first formal step toward running for governor in 2010 because I believe in California and I understand that meeting the challenges of the 21st century requires new and innovative ideas," Poizner said in a statement.

Poizner, 51, sold a high-tech business in 2000 for $1 billion and has spent more than $24 million of his own money to launch his political career.

A socially moderate, pro-choice Republican, Poizner has gone to great lengths to woo the conservative base of the Republican Party, touting himself as a fiscal conservative.

In fact, he "announced" the exploration of his run for governor through the Web site of conservative GOP party leader Jon Fleischman, shortly before noon today.

"I told Commissioner Poizner that while this news was hardly unexpected, that it was certainly exciting, and of course when he told me that FlashReport readers were going to be the very first to officially get the news, I was very pleased!" Fleischman writes.

Last Thursday, I profiled some of Poizner's efforts to line up conservatives in the printed Sacramento Bee:

In the last 20 months, Poizner has zigzagged the state, lending himself as the headline speaker at fundraisers for more than 60 Republican clubs. The proceeds don't go to Poizner.

[SmithL]

[word_warrior_bob]

He looks like a very sharp dresser and a positively electrifying candidate.

[nobamanada]

Hopefully he can get the budget situation under control