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California GOP gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner on Friday backed away from their party's "drill, baby, drill" mantra in the wake of the devastating BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, which is now considered to be the worst oil-related disaster in American history. As President Obama visited the gulf region to respond to criticism about his administration's response to the spill, Whitman and Poizner said in separate appearances on the Peninsula that they have modified their views on offshore drilling in California as a result of the spill, which has gushed 18 million to nearly 40...

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is endorsing Meg Whitman in California's GOP contest for governor, saying she will be tough on spending. Gingrich on Tuesday said the former eBay chief executive advocates for the right tax policies and is committed to tackling welfare reform, one of his top issues. California has a 12.6 percent unemployment rate and faces a $19 billion budget shortfall through June 2011.

Whitman loses "focus" in new ad...and attacks Boxer? (SNIP) ...This commercial smells like someone who knows the race is tightening, big-time. Early on in the spot, Meg says, "So let's get down to brass tacks. I strongly oppose Barbara Boxer and I am working hard to defeat her." Say what? The presumption here is that everybody has seen the Steve Poizner commercials ripping Meg for supporting Boxer and writing her a check in 2004 for her re-election. But if you're like most Californians -- who leave their TV set occasionally to gander at the poppies -- you might say, "Why...

On the Propositions: Prop. 13. Seismic Retrofits. YES: Earthquake proofing your house shouldn’t trigger a tax increase until you’re ready to sell. Any questions? Prop. 14. Distorted Primary. NO: This was the result of the corrupt deal for the tax increase engineered by Abel Maldonado that included this measure to by-pass party primaries in a manner Maldonado believed would enhance his future election prospects. Instead of voters of each party putting their best candidate forward, this jerry-rigged system is designed to disguise the difference between the parties and force those pesky third parties off the general election ballot entirely. Prop....

Nearly 300 insurers in California have rejected a state regulator's order to stop making investment in corporations engaged in business ties with Iran. The insurers, including more than a dozen major firms such as State Farm, Geico and Prudential, are questioning the authority of state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner to impose sanctions on such firms. On Thursday, Poizner released a list of 296 companies that have rejected his order to stop buying stock in 50 companies that operate in Iran, Los Angeles Times, reported. Poizner estimates that as of March 31, California insurers held about $6 billion worth of stock...

All but one of the top Republican candidates for governor and Senate support the new anti-illegal immigration law in Arizona, now that Steve Poizner and Carly Fiorina have joined Tom Campbell and Chuck DeVore in backing it. “I think I have a better plan for California,” GOP governor candidate Meg Whitman told Register editorial and and news writers today. She reiterated her call to tighten up border security and crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. She said that would address 90 percent of the problem – and that the Arizona law means a lot of legal controversy ahead....

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown on Saturday challenged his potential GOP rivals to an unprecedented bipartisan debate before the state's June primary,

Former Congressman Tom Campbell swears that former eBay CEO and gubernatorial hopeful Meg Whitman did not squeeze him out of the GOP primary for governor and prompt him to switch to the race to unseat Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer. Whitman spokesperson Sarah Pompei also denied that Whitman Inc. was involved in Campbell's decision. Politicos figure that Whitman was too smart to ever directly push Campbell out of the contest. But given that her political guru Mike Murphy sent that memo to Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner suggesting that Poizner instead run for Senate in 2012, it is evident that Whitman Inc....

At a recent debate between California's Republican gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner, Whitman mentioned that she had heard an interview on NPR with the governor of Maine. Poizner retorted, "Another difference between Meg and me: I don't listen to NPR." Host Guy Raz recaps the exchange for everyone who is listening.

This is just...icky. California gubernatorial robot Meg Whitman held a press event in the Bay Area this week and became confused when the aforementioned press began being all, you know, press-like. When asked to deviate from the prepared remarks Whitman's handlers programmed her with, the candidate punted to one of her media people then began emitting a giggle not often heard outside of a mental institution. The "Press Event" ended with the press being herded out before Megster could have any more of her cackling captured for posterity. Presumably, Whitman was put back in her private room where she could...

When Republican Steve Poizner ran against Ira Ruskin in a heavily Democratic state Assembly district in 2004, Poizner assured voters he was against the war in Iraq, was 100 percent pro-choice and would stand up to "Republican Party bosses.'' But six years after narrowly losing that Peninsula race to the liberal Ruskin, Poizner — who now wants to be governor — is painting himself as the only "true conservative'' in the GOP primary. As California Republicans head to Santa Clara this week for their spring convention, Poizner's new battle plan puts him in a unique position among the three gubernatorial...

Conservative icon U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock endorsed Steve Poizner for Governor today. Since I am at the CRA Convention, and am posting via my Blackberry, I will include an excerpt from Poizner's press release... FROM THE RELEASE: Tom McClintock, the conservative standard-bearer in California and champion of Republican principles, today endorsed Steve Poizner for Governor. In making his endorsement, Rep. McClintock called Steve Poizner the "only conservative candidate" in the race and the only real reformer running for governor. "I trust Steve to restore Republican principles to California government," said Rep. McClintock. "Steve Poizner is the only conservative candidate in...

California Insurance Commissioner and candidate for the GOP nomination for Governor, Steve Poizner, has announced that he'll donate another $15 million of his own fortune to float his flagging Gubernatorial campaign making himself his biggest contributor. Once the transfer is complete, Mr. Poizner will have donated a total of just over $19 million of his own cash to his campaign. And it should be noted that this is being termed a donation, not a loan. Let's be clear, though, Poizner is not the only major candidate for governor that is using his own fortune to fund his race. Chief opponent...

A rather peculiar email attempts to address the question: “Where is Steve Poizner’s Campaign for Governor?” It’s a good question; where is the heartbeat, the pulse of media advertisements that cast mass messaging and marketing appeal? As we spill November into December, preparing to leave 2009 behind, there has been nothing from the self-made millionaire, and some people are beginning to ask pointed questions. Here is the only statewide incumbent candidate running inside of a heated Republican gubernatorial race, and Steve Poizner has yet to utilize one radio, television or major marketing tool since his announcement earlier in 2009. Today,...

A rather peculiar email attempts to address the question: “Where is Steve Poizner’s Campaign for Governor?” It’s a good question; where is the heartbeat, the pulse of media advertisements that cast mass messaging and marketing appeal? As we spill November into December, preparing to leave 2009 behind, there has been nothing from the self-made millionaire, and some people are beginning to ask pointed questions. Here is the only statewide incumbent candidate running inside of a heated Republican gubernatorial race, and Steve Poizner has yet to utilize one radio, television or major marketing tool since his announcement earlier in 2009. Today,...

There is a charge that exaggeration and campaign hyperbole has caused California Republican Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner to lose the centerpiece of his stump speech. Has the commissioner magnified his involvement in cost savings inside of the DOI by amplifying his numbers? A consumer watch group says the answer requires a clear perspective on who was initially responsible for lowering rates and reducing the commissioner’s office expenses. If it is decided that Steve Poizner has exaggerated his numbers and reduction measures, where does he run to next for a firm foundation to prove his tax-cutting, conservative ideals? This much is...

During that radio visit in May, Meg stated that she was inviting Insurance Commissioner Poizner and Tom Campbell, for that matter, to participate in three fall debates. Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner’s guber-campaign was clear in stating that they never received an invitation from Whitman. As fall wore on the Poizner Camp began to air audio from Whitman’s comments stating that Meg had never inquired of the commissioner’s availability for fall debates. And that it was actually Meg Whitman who was performing as the “debate dodger” in this case. During Tuesday’s interview, I played the audio from that May 18th appearance...

Republican gubernatorial candidates Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman are looking forward to a better week, the previous seven-day period featured a bothersome news-cycle highlighting a few fiscal conflicts. For Poizner it was his use of CHP for security detail while on the campaign trail, and the fact that he WILL receive a paycheck as governor. For Meg it was a $45 million Charity Foundation's gift to environmentalists, and her $3 million hedge fund in the cayman Islands. You can read more at Hogue News today.

GOP gubernatorial hopefuls Steve Poizner and Tom Campbell will field questions from the Twitterverse tonight at what's being billed as the nation's first major political debate to integrate questions from the micro-blogging platform. Four of the 12 questions selected for the 75-minute debate, which is co-moderated by Brandman University professor Mike Moodian and Bee columnist Dan Walters, were chosen from a pool of about 100 questions submitted via Twitter. "We were basically looking for general trends," Moodian said, noting that the topic for the debate is California's ongoing fiscal crisis. "We chose some questions that certainly were unique, but we...

Van Jones Hearts Meg Whitman