Meg Whitman

Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman's political ambitions, more specifically as a Republican candidate for governor of California, have been evident for some time now. They became especially apparent after she took a key role in John McCain's presidential campaign in 2008 and spoke at the Republican National Convention (pictured). But it wasn't until this February that Whitman officially launched an exploratory committee. She hopes to succeed current Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who cannot run again due to term limits.

She may be running against Gavin Newsom, the Democratic mayor of San Francisco, who announced his gubernatorial bid this spring on Twitter.