California: Whitman vs Newsom

Let's face it. Gavin Newsome is ballsy, popular, and bold. His leadership as mayor has saved San Francisco's backside in many different ways. Plus... he's got to be hands down the sexiest mayor in the United States.

Did I mention he helped deliver a 10-point California victory for Hillary on Super Tuesday?

Those assets aside, however, the shoo-in Democratic candidate for governor may not end up moving to Sacramento after all. At least, he shouldn't pack his bags just yet.

Building steam on the Republican ticket is Meg Whitman, ex-CEO of Ebay. Whitman has already made the cover of Fortune and The Weekly Standard, and just might have the common-sense entrepreneurial spirit that can turn California around.

EMeg, as she is affectionately known by colleagues colloquially, took over Ebay in 1997 and steered the company right through the "tech bubble" collapse of 2001-2002. In fact, under her leadership, the company was the fastest growing ecommerce company in the world from 2002-2004.

After ten years at the helm of Ebay, Whitman began to focus on politics, first supporting longtime friend Mitt Romney, then John McCain. Now, Emeg has decided to get her feet wet and attempt to take the helm of the Golden State.

In truth, Californians would likely be well served by either candidate, but their two approaches and backgrounds are vastly different. We'll have to wait and see if voters gravitate toward the hottie or the resume... I have my suspicions.

Posted by Nick Stone on 12:26 AM. Filed under races to watch . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0