GOP strategist Rob Stutzman says by the end of the McCain campaign Whitman will have a good idea of what she'll have to go through herself to win an election in a state the size of California, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Whitman, the outgoing chief executive officer of EBay, played down her own political ambitions in an interview with the Times about her new job for the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

Her fundraising skills and ties to Silicon Valley will greatly benefit McCain. At the same time, an alliance with McCain would help Whitman, 51, should she decide to run for governor of California.

Whitman said while raising money for Mitt Romney she met some "very influential and senior Republicans" who suggested she think about a gubernatorial race.

"Never say never," she told the Times when pressed about whether she would rule out such a run.