by Rachel Alexander | October 19th, 2009

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner may not be the "conservative candidate" in California's gubernatorial race, but he is the most conservative of the three leading Republican candidates.

I had the pleasure of interviewing California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner last weekend at the Western Conservative Political Action Conference in Newport Beach. Poizner is one of three leading candidates on the Republican side. Currently California's state insurance commissioner, Poizner made millions as a businessman starting hi-tech companies in Silicon Valley. He was very impressive personally and came across as very knowledgeable. Meg Whitman, another millionaire and former eBay chief executive who reportedly never bothered to vote until 2002, is also running as a Republican, as is Tom Campbell, a former Congressman.

I began by asking Poizner how he would distinguish himself from the other two candidates, especially in regards to conservative principles. Poizner responded that he was the most conservative of the three. Campbell supported every tax increase proposed in 2009, and advocated for a 32 cent per gallon gas tax increase. Campbell and Whitman are both very liberal on abortion. Poizner said that he has become more conservative on abortion over time, and now opposes taxpayer-funded abortions. He supports parental notification. He would focus on reducing abortions to zero by launching more aggressive education programs and streamlining the adoption process. When I asked him if his position might evolve even further on the issue in order to represent the Republican base better, he hesitated to commit, saying he didn't want to sound like a politician saying anything to get elected. He supports traditional marriage, as does Whitman, while Campbell does not.

Next we discussed illegal immigration. Poizner said securing the border is extremely important, and his highest priority as governor will be to protect liberty and public safety. He is very concerned about al Qaeda coming across our border and said he will send the National Guard to the California-Mexico border if the federal government fails in this area.

Whitman has accused him of not naming a single area in government where he would make cuts. I asked him if he would like to address this. He said he was about to roll out a comprehensive spending reduction package, which has been released since our interview. He did tell me in advance that it would include an overhaul of welfare, saying that California has a disproportionate number of residents on welfare. 12% of Californians are on welfare, three times the national average, accounting for 30% of all welfare recipients in the nation. The problem with the current system is the benefits are extremely attractive, and since there is little enforcement of the work rules, 62% of welfare recipients don't work at all.

His10-10-10 Plan would do three things: 1) Cut the state sales tax, corporation tax, and personal income tax by 10%, 2) Cut spending by 10% during his first two years in office, and 3) Create a $10 billion Rainy Day fund by the end of his term.

At Western CPAC, Poizner criticized Governor Schwarzenegger for signing a $16 billion dollar tax increase this year, which voters later defeated at the ballot. He says since California already has the highest taxes in the county, it is stupid to raise taxes! The worst piece of public policy to come out of Sacramento in the last 50 years was raising taxes again. He attacked Whitman's idea of calling for a Constitutional Convention, saying that it would undo major voter-approved initiatives like Prop. 13, which capped property taxes, and the two-thirds majority required to approve tax increases. 

Is Poizner the GOP's conservative candidate for governor? I don't know. Some say since California voters are more liberal socially, it would be tough for a candidate who is very conservative on social issues to be viable. But Prop. 8, the traditional marriage ballot initiative, passed solidly last year in California. Poizner is halfway there on social issues. Is Poizner the most conservative candidate of the three Republican candidates with a shot at winning? Yes. He is rock solid on conservative fiscal principles and has well-formulated plans. Let's keep working on him when it comes to abortion.

Ed Morrissey's video of Poizner's interview with Western CPAC bloggers