Former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman spent more than $140 million on her campaign, but it wasn’t enough to defeat Democrat Jerry Brown, who has won the California’s governor’s race, the AP is reporting.
That’s good news for the Democrats, who didn’t have the same luck in Georgia, where Republican Nathan Deal has won over Democrat and former Gov. Roy Barnes. And the traditional battleground of Ohio, the GOP’s John Kasich has ousted Ted Strickland, according to the AP.
Whitman, a Republican, drew opposition from two major California teachers’ unions, who feared she would cut school spending and slash pension benefits. They had a much more favorable view of Brown, a former two-term governor who they regraded as a capable dealmaker.
Kasich strongly opposed Stickland’s education agenda. Strickland had argued that his education policies were crucial to the state winning $400 million through the federal Race to the Top competition—and that Kasich’s plans would put the state’s award in jeopardy.