Former eBay chief, gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman nominated to be ambassador to Kenya
President Biden nominated billionaire Meg Whitman, a corporate chief who unsuccessfully ran for governor of California in 2010, to be his ambassador to Kenya.
Whitman, a Republican, was a prominent supporter of Biden during the 2020 election and endorsed him at the virtual Democratic National Convention, saying she could not support then-President Trump.
“I’m a longtime Republican and a longtime CEO. And let me tell you, Donald Trump has no clue how to run a business, let alone an economy,†Whitman said at the time. “Joe Biden, on the other hand, has a plan that will strengthen our economy for working people and small-business owners. For me, the choice is simple. I’m with Joe.â€
The sentiment was not surprising given that Whitman in 2016 compared Trump to Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. She backed unsuccessful Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton that year.
Beto O’Rourke pursues a go-everywhere strategy in running for Texas governor, hoping to detoxify his party’s image in rural America.
Previously, she had served as a senior advisor to GOP presidential candidates, notably former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012 and Arizona Sen. John McCain in 2008. She was named a likely Cabinet member for both but neither was successful.
In 2010, Whitman shattered self-funding records by spending $144 million of her own wealth on her run for governor. Jerry Brown ultimately beat her by 13 percentage points.
Worth $4.8 billion, Whitman made much of her fortune as the head of eBay. She also led Hewlett-Packard, and most recently Quibi, a streaming platform created by media mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg that shut down in 2020.
The Biden administration announced the nomination Wednesday. The position requires Senate confirmation; it’s unclear when hearings will be held.
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