California Runner-Up Bypasses Review of RaceBy Jesse McKinley
Published: January 22, 2011
BERKELEY, Calif. — Every four years, the minds — left and right — that brought you the California governor’s race get together for a collegial post-mortem at the University of California, Berkeley, on what they did right and wrong in the campaign. Coffee is served, as is — usually — political dish.
But on Friday, while the event went on as planned, there was one noticeable absence: the campaign of Meg Whitman, the billionaire Republican who spent about $150 million of her own money in a losing effort to Jerry Brown, a Democrat.
Not that the campaign was not invited.
“We approached lots of people through lots of different channels,” said Ethan Rarick, the director of the Robert T. Matsui Center for Politics and Public Service at the university and one of the event’s hosts. “I’m a little perplexed by it, but it’s their call.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/us/23govs.html?_r=1&ref=politics