SACRAMENTO, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Meg Whitman, the former chief executive officer of the Internet auction site eBay, is inching toward a run for California governor in 2010, observers say.
The Sacramento Bee reported Monday that Whitman resigned posts on the boards of three major companies at the end of 2008, which political observers take as a sign she is preparing to run for office.
Whitman resigned from the boards of Procter & Gamble, where she served since 2003, Dreamworks Animation SKG, where she served since 2005, and eBay, where she has served since joining the company as CEO in 1998.
Serving on the boards of large corporations while running for governor would have created potential conflicts, said Tony Quinn, a Republican political analyst.
"Why would she want to remain on those boards (where) she could get drawn into controversies regarding those companies," Quinn said. "Running for governor is a full-time job."
If Whitman decides to run, she would likely face state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner in the Republican primary, as well as Tom Campbell, a moderate former GOP congressman and state finance director.
Whitman served as a senior adviser to Republican presidential nominee U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
