Former California Republican Gubernatorial Nominee Bill Simon sat down for a lengthy one-on-
one interview with the Wall Street Journal’s Naomi Schaeffer Riley. The piece, A Conservative Philanthropist Looks To The Future, is definitely worth a read.
I did note, most of the way through the piece, the following excerpt (the boldfacing is added by me for emphasis).
One has to wonder if Simon is serious about a potential statewide bid in 2010…
Mr. Simon first ran for governor of California seven years ago. He beat the Republican establishment’s candidate, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, in the primaries, and lost by only five percentage points to the incumbent governor Gray Davis. Though Mr. Simon was not shy about his staunch social conservatism — including his opposition to abortion — he focused his campaign on fiscal restraint, education reform and rebuilding California’s infrastructure, particularly its failing energy system.
In fact, Mr. Simon tells me that he would definitely consider running again for governor or lieutenant governor in 2010. He says that the budget crisis in California, including a deficit which he estimates at approximately $40 billion, will "require very fundamental change. This is an issue I understand. Economic issues are a strength for me."