Former eBay Executive Running for Governor

Napa Valley Register:

(Steve) Westly, a former executive with eBay who made a fortune off the Internet company’s stock, remains a virtual unknown even though he has been active in party politics for years. A Field Poll conducted in November found that 66 percent of Democratic voters had no opinion of him.

The initial phase of his campaign plan is to run television commercials in specific markets, followed by a Westly visit, said his media strategist, David Doak. But Doak acknowledged that such personal campaigning can go only so far in the nation’s most populous state.

“Campaigning in California almost always comes down to a media war,” he said.

That’s a war Westly is well-positioned to wage. He has about $24 million in his campaign fund, all but about $4 million he contributed himself.