A look at who might run for governor of California

California Attorney General Jerry Brown may well run for governor in 2010.But he sure didn't fundraise like it in 2007.In fact, he barely raised any campaign funds at all, collecting only eight donations all year. His campaign account, which had more than $800,000 left over from his 2006 run, earned more in interest than new contributions, according to the annual campaign filings. He ended the year with $851,000 in the bank."There is no conclusion to be derived from that fact," Brown said of his lack of fundraising. "I'm just working on my job.As for running for governor, Brown quipped, "The mulling continues."The good news for another wanna-be governor in 2010, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, a Democrat, is that he hustled to collect $775,000 in 2007, paying off old debts and building a new treasury.The bad news is that he spent a lot of it in the process, ending the year with roughly $190,000.That sum is about 1/50th the size of state Treasurer Bill Lockyer's campaign chest, which at a startling $9.98 million is the largest of any California politician.Like Brown, Lockyer went easy on the fundraising in 2007, earning more from his funds sitting in the bank (a whopping $398,000 in interest) than in new contributions.But the former state attorney general continued to sound a lukewarm note about his interest in running for governor."I just don't even think about it," Lockyer said last week.Oft-rumored Democratic contenders, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, do not have state-level campaign accounts.Jack O'Connell, the state's top education official who has expressed interest in running, has about $900,000 left over in his old re-election account. In addition, Netflix founder Reed Hastings in mid-2007 deposited $1 million into an independent committee to encourage an O'Connell candidacy.Rep. Loretta Sanchez, the Orange County Democrat who made a splash when she opened a 2010 governor's race account a couple of years ago, raised $24,000 in 2007. More interesting is how she spent it. Her biggest expense was a $5,000 poll. For would-be GOP contenders, campaign filings don't reveal much of anything.State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner, the only statewide elected Republican besides Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, has funded past campaigns from his billion-dollar personal fortune. Meg Whitman, who recently stepped down as president and CEO of eBay, has a rumored interest in the Republican nomination. She also could easily bankroll a run with her estimated worth of $1.4 billion, according to Forbes magazine's annual list of the richest Americans.Among the non-billionaire Republicans considered contenders, Sen. Tom McClintock, a favorite among conservative party activists, ended the year with $140,000 cash on hand and $11,000 in debts.Contact Shane Goldmacher (at) sgoldmacher (at) sacbee.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com