Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman unleashed a series of negative TV campaign ads today attacking her rival Steve Poizner for supposedly supporting tax hikes that "undercut" Proposition 13, contributing to 2000 Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore and opposing tax cuts proposed by then-President George W. Bush. See the ads here, here, here and here.
The four 15-second ads, unveiled along with an anti-Poizner Web site, mark a dramatic change of tone for Whitman, whose radio and TV ads so far have focused on herself without mentioning Poizner.
Poizner has yet to run any paid radio or TV advertising although he has invested about $19 million of his on wealth in his campaign. Attorney General Jerry Brown is expected to declare his Democratic candidacy for governor and also has not run any paid advertising. A Democratic independent expenditure committee, Level the Playing Field 2010, has been running some radio ads.
Whitman's communications chief Tucker Bounds wrote in a statement, "It is time to take the debate on the issues to the airwaves. There are very clear differences between Meg and her opponent and our campaign believes now is the time to spell out those differences. Californians deserve to see the full picture of Steve Poizner: what he promises on the campaign trail is often very different from his real record on the issues. Let's examine those flip flops and begin a spirited discussion of the issues that matter most to Californians."
Poizner communications director Jarrod Agen said, in part, by e-mail about the new ads, "Meg Whitman has resorted to a negative ad campaign after her first ads proved nothing more than she didn't know how long she lived in California and that people on her payroll support her. Meg Whitman is scared and knows the conservative candidate will win this race. But will Meg be viewed as a conservative considering she endorsed Barbara Boxer in 2004 and Al Gore in 2000?"
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