Democrat Kamala Harris will be attacked by a million-dollar television advertising campaign from a Virginia-based Republican group in the final days of her campaign for attorney general.
The ads to benefit Republican Steve Cooley are bankrolled by the Republican State Leadership Committee, led by Ed Gillespie, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and counselor to President George W. Bush.
Spokesman Adam Temple said the group is spending about $1 million.
Brian Brokaw, Harris' spokesman, said her campaign has determined that the attack ads cost $1.1 million and are running on all major Los Angeles television stations, beginning Sunday.
The 30-second spot, posted above, criticizes Harris' personal opposition to the death penalty and her decision in 2004 not to seek capital punishment for the killer of San Francisco Police Officer Isaac Espinoza.
"Tell Kamala Harris - California's worst criminals deserve the toughest punishment the law allows," the ad concludes. "No excuses. No exceptions."
"We have a Democratic candidate who has taken positions that are clearly in opposition to what Californians believe," Temple said.
Harris, throughout the campaign, has said that while she personally opposes the death penalty, she would enforce it as attorney general.
Brokaw called the attack a blatant attempt to "buy this election because they know the stakes of the race."
"California voters will reject this crude attempt by out-of-state interests to sway the outcome," Brokaw said in a written statement.
The million-dollar campaign on Cooley's behalf comes on the heels of President Barack Obama's visit to California during which he helped raise funds for Harris' campaign. Brokaw declined to release those totals today.
The Republican State Leadership Committee's website describes it as the "largest caucus of Republican state leaders in the country, making a national impact one state a time."
The group characterizes itself as the "only national organization whose mission is electing Republicans to the office of attorney general, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and legislator."
Key contributors to the GOP group include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, $1.5 million; American Justice Partnership, $925,000; Blue Cross/Blue Shield, $918,068, Reynolds American, $690,161; and Altria Group, $483,545; according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.
Latest posts:
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.