Poizner vs. Brown 2010?

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The Post-Arnold?

Meg Whitman, the retiring chairman of the Internet auction site eBay, is telling colleagues she has no current plans to run for governor of California as a Republican in 2010 when Arnold Schwarzenegger is termed out of office. But my California sources tell me the 53-year-old corporate powerhouse caught the political bug this year raising money for Mitt Romney, with whom she worked at the venture capital firm Bain & Co.

This month, Ms. Whitman made the rounds of key Republican groups in the state and got a warm reception. She would bring a sterling record of running eBay for a decade along with the advantage of being a fresh face on the California political scene. Her moderate views on social policy combined with her fiscal conservatism could be a natural fit for California's electorate. Financing a campaign wouldn't be a problem -- Ms. Whitman's estimated net worth is $1.4 billion.

Of course, there would be obstacles in her way. Wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneur Steve Poizner, the state's elected Insurance Commissioner, is eyeing a run and is likely to score political points next week for leading a successful campaign to defeat a ballot measure weakening the state's term limits on state legislators. A race between Ms. Whitman and Mr. Poizer, himself estimated to be worth nearly $1 billion, would certainly be a prospect to delight political consultants.

-- John Fund