Whitman Donates Quarter Million to State GOP

Money intended to bolster Republican voter registration ahead of her gubernatorial run

Meg Whitman is once again using her wealth in an attempt to scare off Republican gubernatorial rivals and endear herself to the state GOP.

In a press release issued today, Whitman has pledged $250,000 to the state party coffers meant to fund increased voter registration efforts among state Republicans.

Whitman, the former eBay CEO, has always had trouble figuring out exactly which party she's in, having supported the campaign of Democrat Steve Westly in the last gubernatorial primary.

Which makes it odd to read press statements like "Whitman believes that electing more Republicans statewide is crucial to creating jobs, controlling spending and improving public education."

But she's since decided to stick with the herd of elephants, helping with the failed candidacies of Governor Mitt Romney and Senator John McCain for president and running as a Republican in her own largely self-funded campaign.

Then again, she can't seem to make up her mind on marriage equality, having made statements both supporting same-sex couples and supporting Proposition 8, the controversial ballot measure banning their marriages.

Of course, the campaign can argue that this just shows the level of bipartisanship that Whitman is committed to.

But to watchers of the Silicon Valley business scene where she made her millions, where venture capitalists endorse Democrats or Republicans as a matter of convenience, it looks a lot more like opportunism.

Photo from Steve Jurvetson.

Jackson West figures California needs different parties entirely, along the lines of Greens versus Libertarians.

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