The California Faculty Association is hoping to turn this year's protracted budget standoff into political gain -- airing TV and radio ads attacking Republican candidates in four competitive races.
The ads, scheduled to start airing Monday, will attempt to brand the GOP candidates - none of whom are yet in office -- as "failing" the state's schools by linking them to the current Republican leadership, said Lillian Taiz, president of the faculty association.
Taiz said the ads, which are still being completed, will blame Republican lawmakers for blockading the budget -- and try to link GOP nominees to current legislators.
Because of strict party discipline, Taiz said her association sees one GOP lawmaker as roughly the same as any another.
"We can expect these Republican candidates to be just like the ones there now," Taiz said.
GOP strategist Kevin Spillane said the campaign sounded like "a typical stunt interest groups will do to try to look like they are impacting legislators."
"Frankly, there is not a track record to show success on either side" of such campaigns, Spillane said.
The faculty association, a union representing teachers and other employees at California State University, plans to spend an initial $435,000 on the independent expenditure ad buy. They are targeting the GOP nominees in Assembly District 10 (Alan Nakanishi's seat), 30 (Nicole Parra's), 78 (Shirley Horton's) and 80 (Bonnie Garcia's).
A TV and radio campaign more than three months from Election Day is uncommon, particularly in legislative races about which the public generally has little knowledge or interest.
But Taiz said the campaign is timed to capitalize on parents thinking about kids heading back to school. She called it "a very good time to get their attention about what's going on in the budget."
"We need theses families to also think that Republicans are out there blocking a budget compromise," Taiz said.
Spillane countered, "The reality is the voters in those districts wouldn't be very keen about supporting $9 billion in tax increases either."
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