Simon Says
Bill Simon runs for California governor.

By John J. Miller & Ramesh Ponnuru

EDITOR’S NOTE: Last spring, Bill Simon Jr. — now the Republican candidate for California governor — sat down with NRO's John J. Miller. Here's the Washington Bulletin on the interview.

ll systems are go for Bill Simon to seek the GOP's gubernatorial nomination in California next year: Democratic Gov. Gray Davis is struggling with an electricity crunch, Arnold Schwartzenegger has bowed out, and now there's a campaign website. Simon's one announced primary opponent is secretary of state Bill Jones, the only California Republican to hold statewide office. Simon himself is a 49-year-old Catholic businessman. He is the son of the late William E. Simon, Sr., the onetime Treasury secretary and godfather of conservative philanthropy.

Yesterday, Simon sat down with NRO to discuss his plans. Here are excerpts:

On California's electricity woes: "The principle problem is supply, and I see several ways to address this. We need to get more power plants online. We can bring up older ones once they pass environmental muster. We can also shrink the permitting process — this can take more than two years when it should take only a few months — and allow utilities to enter into longer-term contracts."

On abortion: "I'm pro-life, but I don't intend to make that a centerpiece of my campaign."

On the centerpiece of his campaign: "I see four main issues for voters in California: electricity, water, education, and highways. We are not far behind the electricity crisis in terms of our water supply."

On why he's running: "I'm a great believer in public service. You don't always know when the opportunity for public service will arise, but for me it has arisen. And I don't see anybody else out there who can offer what I believe I can."

On what it will cost: "The previous election cost both candidates about $40 million. Gov. Gray Davis already has $30 million in the bank. My projection is that I will need $50 million."

On whether he will self-finance: "I will make my own seven-figure contribution to the campaign, but I won't self-finance the campaign."

On his political hero: "I come from the Ronald Reagan mold."

On what he's reading right now: "I'm about two-thirds of the way through The Right Moment, by Matthew Dallek. It's a book about Reagan's first campaign for governor in California, in 1966. I'm a history buff, and this book is an inspiration for me right now. I'm running for governor, just as Reagan did, but I also appreciate the book's spirit of hope and the example of how somebody can reach inside himself."

To learn more about Simon and his candidacy, visit here.