WASHINGTON -- A pair of high-profile former Silicon Valley executives have signed on to help John McCain's presidential campaign, offering a boost to the presumptive Republican nominee's economic credentials and fund-raising abilities.
Meg Whitman, the retirement-bound chief executive of eBay Inc., joined the McCain team Friday as a national co-chairwoman. She made the move after more than a year as an adviser to Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts who ran a tough campaign against Sen. McCain.Ms. Whitman joins Carly Fiorina, the former head of Hewlett-Packard Co., who was named the Republican National Committee's "Victory" chair earlier this month.
The business savvy of Ms. Whitman and Ms. Fiorina, as well as their networks and rolodexes, will help Sen. McCain and his party as they face worsening economic conditions and the Democratic money machine. The high-tech industry in particular is one that has given more heavily to Democrats than Republicans, so the duo could be particularly helpful to Sen. McCain.
He already has the help of longtime supporter John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems Inc., as both a fund-raiser and an adviser.
Ms. Whitman and Ms. Fiorina have known each other for years through their California-based technology companies and had dinner a few months ago. "We had a friendly disagreement over John and Mitt," Ms. Fiorina said. (The release announcing the addition of Ms. Whitman to the McCain team made no mention of her past involvement with the Romney campaign.)
While Ms. Fiorina, a longtime Republican, has made political contributions in the past, she has never assumed a political role until this one. However, her role as a campaign surrogate reminds her of her past effort on "road shows" during the Hewlett-Packard proxy battle several years ago. After heading the Palo Alto, Calif., computer maker for several years, Ms. Fiorina was forced out of the company in 2005 after battles with shareholders and directors. Shortly after, she said she might pursue politics or "public service."
Ms. Fiorina, 53 years old, plans to use her past experience to help "put to rest" the widespread criticism -- fueled in part by Sen. McCain's own comments -- that the senator isn't as strong on economic issues as he is on national security. "As a businessperson, I can vouch that his understanding and instincts about the economy are strong," she said in an interview Friday.Ms. Fiorina first met Sen. McCain when she testified before Congress on Internet taxation, which she opposed. "He got it totally," she recalled. "He understood that government action can kill or motivate innovation and industry." She was an early supporter of Sen. McCain, even when his popularity declined last summer, and traveled in New Hampshire and other states when only a handful of people showed up.
Ms. Whitman is a newcomer to the McCain entourage. Her association with Mr. Romney dates back to his Bain Capital days in the late 1970s, according to longtime Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom.
Ms. Whitman, 51, hadn't been involved in Republican national politics until Mr. Romney announced his presidential bid early last year. She was a member of his inner circle and most prominent in his fund-raising team, helping him tap a network of millionaire investors and out fund-raise many of his competitors.In late January, Ms. Whitman, who is reported to have political aspirations of her own, announced her intent to retire from eBay at the end of March. When Mr. Romney suspended his campaign last month, Ms. Whitman called him and asked about ways to stay active in the political scene, according to Mr. Fehrnstrom. Mr. Romney then "encouraged" her to get involved in Sen. McCain's campaign.
An eBay spokesman didn't return calls for comment.
Write to Elizabeth Holmes at elizabeth.holmes@wsj.com and Monica Langley at monica.langley@wsj.com
