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Sacramento Bee Columnist Daniel Weintraub

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August 24, 2003

'King of Mudslinging' joins Arnold

The addition of strategist Mike Murphy to Arnold’s team adds a non-Wilson voice to the mix, which at least will make for creative tension, if nothing else. And Murphy’s not just any non-Wilson guy. He was part of Lamar Alexander’s 1996 presidential campaign, the very campaign that Pete always suspected of spreading rumors that Wilson was suffering from throat cancer as part of a move to quell Wilson’s fundraising. But apparently all those hard feelings have been patched up now. Murphy will join Bob White, Don Sipple and George Gorton as part of an expanding strategy group. He also might bring in a couple of his own people to place in other spots on the campaign team.

In addition to Alexander, Murphy was also a strategist for John McCain’s failed presidential run. Does that make him a loser? Not exactly. He helped John Engler, Tommy Thompson and Christine Whitman win governor’s races in what had been fairly Democratic states. So he clearly has something to offer in that regard. He also worked for Former President George Bush and for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

More ominous is his reputation as a negative campaigner, something Arnold probably doesn’t need at this point. An AP story during the McCain-Bush race quoted Murphy describing his reputation as the “king of mudslinging.” The story said he was known for a “brilliant mind, wicked sense of humor and his willingness to pounce.”

Is this a sign of panic in the Arnold camp? Not necessarily. Insiders say Murphy has been hanging around the offices off and on from the beginning, putting in his two cents and more or less acting as Dick Riordan’s man in Santa Monica.