It's no secret that CA Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner has his eye on the big boardroom for 2010.

What isn't widely known, however, is that Poizner may announce his bid for Governor --- soon.

The Street hears that Poizner intends to announce in early Fall, "shortly after Labor Day."  And with today being September 12th, that means time's a tickin'. 

This would kick off a Poizner bid much earlier than the January date that so many in the Capitol expect.  Sources say that Poizner wants to get an early start shaking off a potentially serious Meg Whitman threat by locking down the conservative base and dismissing Whitman as a Jenny-come-lately to the Party.  FlashReport and SacBee have both reported that Poizner has been making the rounds with Legislators, Opinion Leaders and Donors to do precisely that.

One might wonder why a candidate would announce for Governor in 2010 so soon.  With the 2008 Presidential season in full swing, one could certainly get lost amid the current SarahPalooza.  Seems premature, right?  But then I remember that Poizner is an entreprenuer, one who has achieved success by being "first-to-market" with his products...and in this case, the product is Poizner himself.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am a former Poizner adviser but I have not asked Steve to confirm or deny the above date.  I feel it is my duty now as a bonafide blogger to spread as much innuendo and speculation as possible. I'll leave those confirmations to the "real" journalists.

Keep your eye on this space for breaking news...