Jerry Brown

Former U.S. Rep. Tom Campbell: University of California BerkeleyTwo former California politicians thought to be done with elective office are eyeing statewide races in 2010.

The San Jose Mercury News is reporting that Republican Tom Campbell, a former San Jose congressman and most recently business school dean at the University of California, Berkeley, has formed an exploratory committee to run for governor in two years.

And the Sacramento Bee reported Monday afternoon that Joe Canciamilla, a former Democratic assemblyman from the East Bay, has taken out papers to run for attorney general in 2010.

Insurance Commissioner Steve PoiznerA leading conservative blog and news aggregator says Steve Poizner has met with a top political consultant about making a run for California governor in 2010.

In a posting last week by FlashReport Publisher John Fleischman, Poizner was said to have had ongoing discussions with Mike Murphy, a Los Angeles-based strategist who helped engineer Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's victory in the 2003 recall election of then-Gov. Gray Davis.

Two days after a potential top rival announced an exploratory bid for California governor, Attorney General Jerry Brown reported another $124,100 in donations Thursday to his Brown 2010 campaign account.

Brown, who has not ruled out another run for the gubernatorial job he held from 1975 to 1983, would also have to run for re-election in his current job in two years to keep that seat.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom‘s move to open an exploratory committee to run for California governor in 2010 suggests a long, expensive and unpredictable campaign, according to experts who follow elections and campaign finance.

One of those experts said Newsom's announcement does have a financial calculation.

By going first, Newsom can rally donors and scare off other potential candidates, said Mark Petracca, chair of the political science department at the University of California, Irvine.

While San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom may have gotten in front of the pack in announcing a first step toward running for California governor in 2010, he's to some extent far behind in raising cash for that venture.

Several other rumored and presumed candidates have been stockpiling campaign cash for several months, though the titles of their campaign accounts are just nebulous enough to allow them to change plans.

Attorny General Jerry Brown: Getty Images PhotosA campaign fund for Attorney General Jerry Brown reported more than $200,000 in campaign contributions over the weekend, possibly a start for a campaign for the 2010 gubernatorial race.

The $205,000 reported on Sunday included several donations from prominent labor unions whose support is critical for any Democratic candidate in California.

Brown said Monday that the donations could be used for a gubernatorial campaign in two years, a possibility he's mentioned before.

California Republican legislative leaders sounded the alarm over possible early release of prisoners Thursday morning, pushing the state legislature, administration and attorney general's office to move on a bill that they said would rectify the situation.

Assemblyman Todd Spitzer (R-Orange) and State Sen. George Runner (R-Antelope Valley) said SB 1705 would provide needed fixes for AB 900, a bill passed last year aimed at building more state prisons that has yet to be implemented.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown: Getty Images PhotoCalifornia Attorney General and former governor Jerry Brown is still the prohibitive favorite for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 2010, according to a new analysis by a political insider.

In a posting this week on the California Majority Report, longtime Democratic operative Steve Maviglio continued to list Brown in the top spot in his rankings of Democratic would-be governors, based on name recognition and measured steps Brown has taken to build support.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: Getty Images PhotoJune 8, 2010, may seem like a long time from now, Democratic candidates for California governor already lining up. Here's the rundown.

The leading candidate for governor used to be Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, but for the past year, Mayor A.V. has been in a political funk caused by a combination of personal pecadillos and poor staff work that has strained his relationship with both the City Council and the media.