Fresh from his stunning upset victory over former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan in California’s Republican gubernatorial primary, ex,buyout maven Bill Simon Jr. has been drawing heaps of scorn from his opponent in the general election, Democratic incumbent Gray Davis."He’s pro-life, pro-gun, pro-a-crazy-deregulation-scheme and pro- privatization,” Davis told CNN last month. “This is not California’s vision of the future.” Indeed, most political pros say the 50-year-old son of former Treasury secretary and LBO pioneer William Simon has little chance of beating Davis, a prodigious fundraiser who already has $25 million in his campaign war chest. But the soft-spoken and amiable Simon overcame long odds to best Riordan, and he remains upbeat, focusing on economic issues, downplaying social policy and painting his lack of political experience as a plus. “Professional politicians don’t have a monopoly on good ideas and leadership,” says Simon. “I’m used to financing transactions, understanding how to make sure that businesses are run properly and that cash flows can sustain growth projections and business plans.”
Simon, who spent $4 million of his own money on the primary, says he won’t completely self-finance his campaign, which could cost tens of millions of dollars. “I’ll be an important donor,” he says. “But if I don’t raise money from outside, then something’s wrong with my own candidacy.”
