Behind in the polls, Tom Campbell makes plea for campaign donations

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With the Republican primary for U.S. Senate just nine days away and his chief rival pulling away with a commanding lead, former congressman Tom Campbell didn’t pull any punches in an appeal for contributions Sunday.Campbell and Fiorina had been locked in tight race for several months, but after a robust advertising push, Fiorina now leads Campbell 38% to 23% in a new Los Angeles Times/USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences poll. The other Republican contender, Assemblyman Chuck DeVore of Irvine, came in at 16%.

Campbell’s glimmer of hope was in the potential match-ups with the incumbent, Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, whom he led 45% to 38% while Fiorina trailed her by 6 percentage points. In an e-mail to supporters, Campbell slammed Fiorina’s personal contributions to her campaign, which now total more than $5.5 million.

“I can win if I have the resources to communicate in these final nine days. If I don’t, we will not win,” said Campbell, who has been under fire from both Fiorina and outside groups who have criticized his support for abortion rights and gay marriage in California. “This election literally hinges on your response. Never has it mattered more.”

Campbell said he believed his showing in the general election matchup would sway Republican voters, “but not if we allow this election to be bought.”

Last week, Fiorina reported $2.1 million in cash on hand for the final stretch -- a significant advantage over Campbell, who said he had $400,000 left in his campaign treasury. DeVore had $276,614 left to spend.

-- Maeve Reston