SAN DIEGO -- California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman visited San Diego Wednesday in an effort to boost her campaign heading into next week's election.

As recent polls show the Republican Whitman lagging behind Democratic opponent Jerry Brown, the former eBay CEO made a campaign stop at a San Diego-based eBay business.

Whitman spoke to a crowd gathered at Sneak's Kicks. The owner, Jordan Geller, said he started his business 10 years ago by selling shoes out of his apartment. Now, his 9,000-square-foot warehouse on Pacific Highway in Middletown is home to 4,000 pairs of Nike shoes.

Geller credited Whitman with his success and said, "Meg is a winner; what she did with a little website is nothing compared to what she'll be able to do with one of the most powerful states in the union."

Whitman said 99 percent of companies in California are small businesses, and her campaign is focused on cutting taxes to make the state more desirable to entrepreneurs.

"Today the state of California has broken many peoples' dreams. I see it everyday on the campaign trail. The dream is not alive, as it once was, not with 2.3 million looking for work," said Whitman.

Whitman has also pledged to take on the state's powerful unions.

"It's gonna take someone who treats Californians like a grown up, who tells Californians the way it really is, who puts a positive way forward and has the backbone to take on the entrenched interests in Sacramento," said Whitman.

Since announcing her campaign, Whitman has made 53 stops in San Diego. A staff member told 10News she has at least two more visits planned before Election Day on Tuesday.