Whitman calls on GOP friends Romney, McCain, Jeb Bush to boost Calif. gubernatorial run

Whitman to get campaign boost from Romney, McCain

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Several Republican heavyweights will join gubernatorial hopeful Meg Whitman in California for a series of campaign fundraisers.

Her political mentor and previous boss, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, will join Whitman at events this week in Irvine, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Redwood City.

She also will be joined at some of the events by former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. John McCain.

McCain, who lost the 2008 presidential race in California by 24 percentage points, is facing a tough re-election battle of his own in Arizona.

Whitman, a billionaire, already has donated $59 million to her campaign from her personal fortune. That has helped her open a wide lead over state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, her rival in the Republican primary.