Josh Goodman is a former staff writer for GOVERNING..
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I Can Hardly Wait
November 2010 is only about a 1,000 days away, so it's high time we had some news about the election after next. Finally, we do.
In California, where the Governator will be term-limited, the outgoing CEO of eBay, Meg Whitman, is mulling a bid for governor. The Los Angeles Times has the scoop on Whitman, who is a Republican and a billionaire.
Despite Schwarzenegger's success, the California Republican Party still doesn't have much of a bench, which makes a self-funding outsider like Whitman more intriguing. The Times notes that the only other Republican statewide elected official in California, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner (also a billionaire), is another possible candidate.
Illinois' situation is different. Governor Rod Blagojevich is in his second term, but he isn't term-limited. Nonetheless, the governor's legal troubles and his unpopularity raise questions about whether he will run again.
Recent finance reports seem to indicate that fellow Democrats aren't waiting for Blagojevich to decide. Blagojevich is still raising a ton of money (though he's spending quite a bit of it on legal bills), but so are Attorney General Lisa Madigan and Comptroller Dan Hynes, both other Democrats. Primary challenge, anyone?
Finally, Alabama Governor Bob Riley, a Republican, is pledging to help his party raise $7 million to win control of the state legislature in 2010. Democrats have big majorities in both houses (61-43 in the House and 22-13 in the Senate), although the party loyalty of some of those legislators is open to debate.
There are no legislative elections in the state this year -- Alabama is one of those strange states where legislators from both houses serve four-year terms. Riley is term-limited in 2010, so this fundraising push should make executive-legislative relations interesting for the rest of the governor's term.
Twitter: @governing
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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