Gubernatorial preview 2010

California will be voting for a new governor come November of 2010. As Arnold Schwarzenegger finishes his term, Republican Meg Whitman and Democrat Jerry Brown seem to be leading within their own parties in the primary for this hotly contested position. Both Whitman and Brown are strong yet opposing candidates. Only one of them who makes it through the primary next June will be able to continue on to claim victory next November.
Democratic candidate Jerry Brown is a veteran to California’s governing system. Brown served as governor in 1974 and was reelected for a second term in 1978. He also served as the mayor of Oakland, though his most recent service has been as state Attorney General from 2007 to the present.
“With the other name Democrats out of the race, Attorney General Jerry Brown basically has a lock on his party’s primary election,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported. “That’s good for Brown, who won’t have to blow millions of dollars on a primary. But it’s only good for Democrats if Brown can win in November.”
Brown has not really disclosed any specifics as to what he wants to campaign for as a candidate, but his past terms as governor can give a good idea as to what he would be like if elected in November. Brown, as governor, had to deal with a lot of green issues. He fought hard on topics such as energy independence, non-toxic building materials and clean air. These issues are important for Californians, but at this particular financial point in our state, the main priority should be the budget. With California in financial disarray, stability must be first in order. After that, we can move towards addressing green issues.
Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman is one the main Republican candidates running in the gubernatorial primary election. Whitman has a strong educational background, having graduated from Princeton University with a degree in economics and continued on to receive her MBA at Harvard Business School.
Since Whitman does not have the primary clinched for sure, she plans to campaign on job creation, spending cuts and education. “I have a plan I’m calling ‘Jobs First.’ My plan will create jobs and lower taxes on families and businesses of every size, create incentives and streamline regulations for businesses and entrepreneurs around the state,” Whitman said.
For budget reform, Whitman aims to implement at least $15 billion in spending cuts, tax reductions and other plans to create at least two million private sector jobs by 2015. She also recognizes the importance of education and wants to better California’s current system. Whitman plans to evaluate schools, grading them from “A” to “F,” and allowing parents to move children out of failing schools. She also plans to remove the state’s cap on the number of charter schools, in order to give students and parents greater choice in education.
Although Whitman does not have any political experience, her superior knowledge of business and economics will surely provide the assistance that California so desperately needs.