Whitman
is
best
choice
for
California
governor


Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich

The San Jose Mercury News
May 25, 2010

It is with enthusiasm that I announce my endorsement of Meg Whitman to be the next governor of
California. Whitman has the conservative values, courage and vision to clean up the spending mess
in Sacramento and rebuild the state's economy.

As the CEO of eBay, Whitman grew a startup with 30 employees into a Fortune 500 company with
15,000 employees and nearly $8 billion of revenue. It is a remarkable success story and proof that
Whitman has the executive skills to turn California around.

The next governor of America's largest state will have to be tough on spending. With the state
facing another $20 billion deficit, difficult choices must be made to balance the budget and avoid
additional tax increases. Whitman has outlined $15 billion of spending cuts, and her proposal to
eliminate the state's capital gains tax reflects an understanding of how the right tax policies can
fuel economic growth and increase revenue.

But her commitment to challenge the professional bureaucrat class in Sacramento best reflects her
desire to truly bring change to California. Whitman stands alone in her willingness to confront the
powerful government employee unions that are responsible for pushing California to the brink of
financial collapse. She is committed to reforming the state's broken pension system and reducing
the size of the state's bureaucracy by 40,000 positions. These are gutsy reforms that fit the dire
times of the state.

I am also heartened to see that Whitman has taken up the issue of welfare reform. In 1996, the
Republican Congress I led passed historic reforms that required work and personal responsibility.
While California has experienced a reduction in welfare case loads, the rest of the country has been
far more successful in moving welfare recipients toward self-sufficiency.

Today, California has 12 percent of the nation's population, but 32 percent of all the welfare cases.
Whitman is committed to passing tougher work requirements and reducing the lifetime limit for
receiving cash benefits from five years to two. She understands that welfare should be a temporary
hand-up and not a way of life.

Sixteen years ago, I stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol with hundreds of Republican candidates
for Congress and signed the Contract with America.

It took courage for our candidates to outline our agenda in black and white so voters could size up
what we would actually do if they gave us their trust.
It is always easier in politics to let the television ads do the talking, but Whitman has put forward
the most detailed set of policies of any of the candidates running for governor in California. Her
ideas are bold. They are conservative, and they will succeed in bringing California back.

It is not surprising that the same liberal interest groups that fought against the reforms in the
Contract with America are already lining up against Whitman. The fact that the government
employee unions and the big Democratic donors who are invested in Attorney General Jerry
Brown's campaign are attempting to hijack the Republican primary is an admission that they fear
Whitman. They know Whitman's record as one of America's most innovative business leaders
stands in stark contrast to Brown's 40-year record of pursuing failed liberal policies.

I have been a leader in the conservative movement for 30 years. As a young congressman, I stood
with President Ronald Reagan and fought for his conservative policies.

I see a lot of Reagan in Whitman. She is tough, she is optimistic, and she can inspire change. I
believe Whitman will be a transformational leader for California.

Paid
for
by
Meg
Whitman
for
Governor
2010


20813
Stevens
Creek
Blvd,
Suite
150

Cupertino,
CA
95014

www.megwhitman.com