The Republicans may have won historic gains in the US mid-term elections yesterday, picking up 60 seats in Congress to seize a majority, as well as picking up a number of senate seats and governorships.But the tide wasn't quite enough to sweep tech tycoon
The Republicans may have won historic gains in the US mid-term elections yesterday, picking up 60 seats in Congress to seize a majority, as well as picking up a number of senate seats and governorships.
But the tide wasn’t quite enough to sweep tech tycoon Meg Whitman into power.
Ms Whitman, formerly chief executive of eBay, has an estimated net worth of $US1.3 billion.
As the Republican candidate in the race to replace the retiring Arnold Schwarzenegger as governor of California, Ms Whitman spent $US142 million of her own money, or roughly $50 per vote – a record for a US candidate.
But yesterday, Democrat candidate Jerry Brown won the race to fill the governor’s mansion vacated by the Republican Mr Schwarzenegger.
Mr Brown received just over 4 million (or 53%) of votes to Ms Whitman’s 3 million (41%) as the Democrats took back the state – a rare reversal of the anti-Obama sentiment.
No tea party
One of California’s two seats in the US senate was also up for grabs.
Ex-HP chief executive Carly Fiorina – who has become a high profile presence in the party – ran on the Republican ticket, attempting to de-throne Democrat Barbara Boxer.
But yesterday Ms Boxer prevailed, with 3.85 million votes to Ms Fiorina’s 3.16 million.
Late in the campaign, “Tea Party” Republicans were upset when Ms Fiorina declined to attend a rally staged by former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
The HP vet cited a scheduling conflict.
So, for now, Ms Fiorina finds herself on the wrong side of both voter and party sentiment.
For the time being, Washington state's Maria Cantwell, formerly of RealNetworks, remains the US senates only tech tycoon.
