CA-Gov: Whitman Paying Blogger?
The gubernatorial campaign of Meg Whitman paid $20,000 for advertising on the conservative blog, Red County, that another advertiser only paid $300 for the same ad space. NBC Bay Area writer Jackson West:
Twenty thousand dollars will buy you a lot of advertising online. A lot. Especially on a site with a limited readership -- like Chip Hanlon's right-wing blog Red County.
But that's how much the former eBay CEO Meg Whitman's gubernatorial campaign paid to Green Faucet, the investment firm owned by blogger Hanlon and parent company of Red County.
Hanlon told Calbuzz that the money was for advertising, however other advertisers seem to be much better at negotiating than Whitman's campaign -- another advertiser is only paying $300 a month.
Chip Hanlon, the blog's proprietor, recently fired a blogger from his site that was found to receive payments from Whitman's campaign rival, Steve Poizner. Jackson West wondered if this means Hanlon will fire himself?
If the Republican primary for governor has shown anything it is that either of these candidates will do anything -- pay others under the table, spend mountains of their own cash, bribe others to get out of the race -- to win.
Remainders
Carly Fiorina defended and promised more of the wildly popular (and widely-mocked) "demon sheep" advertisements.
In a video released on the web, Meg Whitman received flack from the conservative base for disavowing a supporter that said they were a "proud racist." Whitman released a television ad that begins airing today.
Fresno Bee: Steve Poizner backed a voter initiative that led to $40 billion in more taxes.
A new poll showed Gavin Newsom leading the field of Democrats -- Janice Hahn and Dean Florez -- for lieutenant governor. Newsom "shot down" such a run a month ago but the San Francisco Chronicle believes the San Francisco mayor ain't out yet.
Jackie Speier ruled out running for the state's top cop job. Kamala Harris raised $1 million in the last six months but Chris Kelly leads the field in cash-on-hand, while Republican Steve Cooley is getting hammered by conservative activists.
Republicans collectively raised several hundred thousand to unseat Jerry McNerney in CA-11 while most lent themselves a huge chunk of their campaign cash.
Richard Pombo raised $260,000 campaigning for a return bid to Congress in CA-19.
San Ramon Mayor Abram Wilson (R) outraised the AD-15 Democratic incumbent, Joan Buchanan.
CA-Gov: Poizner Accuses Whitman of Intimidation
A campaign consultant, working on behalf of Meg Whitman, threatened to spend "$40 million-plus" to tear down Steve Poizner and offered to clear the Republican field for U.S. Senate in 2012 if the state's insurance commissioner dropped out of the governor's race.
The explosive allegations, if corroborated, threaten to upend Whitman's campaign for governor.
In a letter to law enforcement officials, gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner today charged that Mike Murphy, a key consultant to Meg Whitman's campaign, threatened to drive him out of the GOP primary.
Poizner, the state's insurance commissioner, contended that Murphy crossed an ethical line by threatening to "tear me up" by spending "$40 million plus."
The alleged threat was sent by Murphy on Wednesday in an e-mail, Poizner said at a Sacramento news conference this morning. He also claimed Whitman's staffers have been calling his own staff in an attempt to pressure him to step aside.
"They're trying to cancel the election effectively," Poizner said.
Jackson West of NBC noted the sign off in consultant Mike Murphy e-mail:
Murphy signed off with, "Thought I'd try one more time before it's 1914," alluding to the start of World War I and its deadly trench warfare.
The overture by a Whitman campaign consultant marks a striking attempt at bullying political opponents. To boil it down, the demand was "Get out, or we will crush you in an avalanche of slime." Poizner called it "criminal" and Whitman's team "laughed off" the allegations. Read their full response here, which has Murphy worrying about Poizner's "mental condition."
Murphy tweeted that Poizner was becoming "unhinged" and wanted the FBI to "lock me up."
Poizner's team posted their referral letter, and Murphy's e-mail, to their website. Read more from Robert Cruickshank at Calitics.
The battle between these two began with questioning the Republican bona fides of the other candidate and Whitman's refusal to face public scrutiny. This latest development has turned the campaign into a bitter, personal battle between Whitman and Poizner that will only get more vicious.
Remainders
Los Angeles Times noted Carly Fiorina's flat-lined fundraising operation and her $2.5 million loan to nowhere:
Fiorina noted that she raised more than $1 million in November and December, despite the dormant period around the holidays. But critics point out that without her loan, Fiorina would have had only $158,000 after debts at the filing deadline. That would have put her only slightly ahead of DeVore.
Steve Poizner, far behind in the polls for governor, says polls don't matter. Calitics points out that there's some truth to a statement like that but Poizner must raise his numbers before it is too late. The departure of Campbell from the race may be his only shot to win.
Tom McClintock, the standard-bearer for carpetbagging, will endorse Richard Pombo for Congress in the 19th District.
Abram Wilson, San Ramon mayor and candidate for State Assembly, says the city "will have to do more with less."
Proposition 8 witness, Harvard professor Nancy Cott, says marriage is not defined by procreation. An impassioned plaintiff testifies to his love for his partner and pleaded to be treated like anyone else. The Supreme Court halted, for two days at least, a judge's plan to post trial footage to YouTube just an hour before the trial began on Tuesday.
Gas prices in the Bay Area jumped and analysts believe $4 a gallon this summer could be a reality at this rate.
Speaking of transportation, dozens of Californian bridges may be faced with the same eyebar issue that closed the Bay Bridge late last year.
San Francisco 49ers stadium plan heads to the ballot in Santa Clara while the Fremont City Council present a new plan to bring the Oakland Athletics to Fremont.
Jermain Taylor pulled out of the Super Six boxing tournament after suffering a bruising knockout to Arthur Abraham in Germany. Taylor was expected to fight Oakland's Andre Ward on April 17. Ward defeated Mikkel Kessler for the WBA middleweight championship last November in Oakland.
CA-Gov, CA-Sen: Campbell to Switch Races on Thursday
Campbell will abandon his campaign for Governor and switch to the U.S. Senate.
Tom Campbell will drop his gubernatorial bid and wade into the establishment-tea party primary fight between Carly Fiorina and Chuck DeVore for the party's Senatorial campaign.
Campbell has scheduled two news conferences to make the announcement: one at 9 a.m. in Los Angeles, the other at 2:30 p.m. at the San Jose Fairmont hotel, according to an e-mail from Campbell's campaign that was sent Monday to his major supporters. The e-mail referred to a "soon to be announced new venture" — confirmed by campaign sources to be a Senate run.
Republican sources believed he would announce the switch on Thursday, which made the $2.5 million loan Fiorina gave to her campaign all the more telling. Campbell announced passing the $1 million mark on November 19 -- eleven days before DeVore reached that mark on November 30.
Campbell previously sought a seat to the U.S. Senate. He lost to Dianne Feinstein in 2000 by nearly 20 points and over 2 million votes.
The decision leaves the Republican gubernatorial primary to two billionaires, Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner. Whitman was ahead of both candidates with Poizner toiling away in the cellar unable to break double digits. The question now becomes, "Where does Campbell's support go?"
There are three scenarios: (1) Campbell's supporters move to Whitman and she runs away with the nomination; (2) Campbell's support lines up behind Poizner and give him a fighting chance to win; (3) His support splits and Whitman eventually pulls out the nod.