Trump supporter and Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel isn’t planning on running for California governor after all, according to a Monday report from Forbes.
Thiel served as an advisor to President Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election, and spoke in favor of Trump at the Republican National Convention in July.
“Peter is not running for governor,” Thiel spokesman Jeremiah Hall told Forbes Monday, essentially ending speculation that Thiel will actually consider running for top political post in the heavily Democratic state of California. The rumors began last month, then three unnamed Republican sources told Politico that Thiel was “seriously considering” a run for Governor after getting passed over for a job in the Trump administration.
The rumors appeared to be confirmed Saturday when a political action committee called “Draft Peter Thiel For Governor” formally filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission. Although the group is free to file with the FEC at any time, federal law requires PACs to file if they expect to raise more than $50,000 in a given year towards their stated goal. The group’s reported donations and expenditures are expected in next month’s reporting.
The group’s website heavily features a picture that puts Thiel alongside Trump.
California’s presidential elections have gone to the Democrat in every Presidential election since 1988, but Republican Governors have a better history. Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was elected for two terms, interrupting Democratic Governor Gray Davis’ run for a second term in 2002. Republicans held the California governor’s mansion for a solid 16 years from 1983 through 1999.
Current Governor Jerry Brown managed to carry a 20 percent lead over Republican challenger Neel Kashkari in the 2014 mid-term “Surge” election, indicating that any Republican to run for the office will face a serious battle in 2018.
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