Steve Westly will run for Governor


I have said before and I'll say again that the phenomenon of announcing one's intention to announce one's candidacy is one of the more boneheaded aspects of modern political management of the news cycle — the press will slavishly and dutifully report that a candidate is in but not officially in, and then when the time comes to be in officially, give them a round of above-the-fold coverage, just like the candidate wants.

Good thing I'm not a real journalist, so that I don't have to feel guilty.

State Controller Steve Westly, who recently donated $10 million of his own money to his campaign fund, is now leaking through his campaign staff that he definitely intends to run for Governor. So we can think of him as a declared candidate, even though it's not "official."

Westly's $10 million donation signals plan to run for governor
(AP) With that single donation, the multimillionaire former executive at the online auction house eBay has established a campaign war chest nearly as deep as that of state Treasurer Phil Angelides, the only Democrat formally to declare his candidacy. It essentially puts to rest any question about whether Westly will enter the governor's race.

"He's in," Westly campaign manager Jude Barry said. "Steve's candidacy means Democrats have a real choice. We have the resources to win and to be competitive against Arnold."

A formal campaign announcement is expected in mid-June. Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has yet to announce whether he will seek re-election next year.


I think that a rich guy throwing a bunch of his own money into his own coffers isn't necessarily a sign of being "competitive" or really anything except being rich — the question now is whether Westly will start getting a lot of love from donors, and in particular from the small donors who would form the backbone of a grassroots movement in support of a Democratic candidate. The saying goes that early money is like yeast — it helps to raise the dough — but I don't know whether it applies if your largest donor is yourself.

Along those lines: We have a troll who recently asserted that Westly is outraising Angelides at the moment, but provided no evidence to support that claim. Undying gratitude to anyone who provides a reasonable source that answers that question.

Posted: Tue - May 24, 2005 at 08:33 AM   | Category:     |   |   | |


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