Meg Whitman's deep pockets put her ahead of Jerry Brown

[ccharles000]

Republican Meg Whitman's unprecedented spending spree in the race for governor has rocketed her into a narrow lead against Democrat Jerry Brown, while incumbent U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) is holding her own as a trio of little-known GOP candidates vies to challenge her, a new Los Angeles Times/USC poll has found.

Whitman, who gave her campaign a record-breaking $39 million to finance a blistering pace of recent television advertising, carried 44% of voters to Brown's 41%. The campaign by Brown, the former governor and current attorney general, has been the antithesis of Whitman's, operating under the radar except for a brief burst of publicity in early March when he announced his intention to run.

In her first bid for elective office, Whitman was easily outdistancing her fellow Republican, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, with a 40-point lead in the poll as they move toward the June primary.

In the Republican Senate contest, former U.S. Rep. Tom Campbell held a slim lead over one-time Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina, 29% to 25%. Coming in a distant third was Orange County Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, at 9%.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-poll5-2010apr05,0,6735113.story

[Cleita]

1. Except that most Californians who are Jerry voters aren't buying her BS. n/t

[4lbs]

2. So, she's spent about $40 million in ads over the past few months, and has just a 3 point lead over

Jerry Brown, who hasn't even begun campaigning yet.

3 percent. That's almost the margin of error.

[Kdillard]

3. Hopefully Brown will be able to turn that around after Whitman has done

Her worst early.