California: Whitman spent $249 a minute for her lead in the polls

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman spent $27.2 million between Jan. 1 and March 17, a campaign statement filed with the state Monday shows. Most of the money, nearly $21 million, bought airtime and production of radio and TV ads. (Bret Hartman / For The Times)

The Republican's run for governor has paid off handsomely for political consultants.

By Michael Rothfeld and Jack Dolan
LA Times
March 24, 2010

Reporting from Sacramento

What should an aspiring candidate for governor do if she has never run a campaign before and wants to nearly double her lead in polls as her party's primary election approaches?

Here is Meg Whitman's answer: Spend $358,439 a day, $14,935 an hour, $249 a minute.

The billionaire former EBay chief has distributed $27.2 million -- almost all of it her own money -- to hundreds of businesses and people in the 76 days between Jan. 1 and March 17, a campaign statement filed with the state Monday shows.

In approximately that time, she built a soaring lead over fellow Republican Steve Poizner and a narrow one over Democrat Jerry Brown in a poll released last week.

(More here.)