Group targets Brewer

An abbreviated election schedule -- only 35 days remain until the

primary -- seems to have pushed the campaign to replace former Rep.

Chris Cox into negative territory early on.

Supporters of Republican state Sen. John Campbell’s bid for the

48th Congressional District seat criticized fellow GOP candidate

Marilyn Brewer on Monday for missing votes when she was an

assemblywoman.

Brewer fired back, charging that Campbell either didn’t vote or

voted the wrong way on bills giving privileges to illegal immigrants.

The criticism of Brewer came in a radio and TV advertisement first

aired Monday by the political action wing of the Washington,

D.C.-based Club for Growth, a proponent of free markets and economic

growth. The group announced its endorsement of Campbell in early

August.

Pat Toomey, president of Club for Growth, said the group

interviewed both candidates and, having chosen Campbell, wanted to

make voters aware of Brewer’s record.

“I think Marilyn Brewer has made it pretty clear she’s got some

money, and she’s going to spend it,” Toomey said. “She’s going to try

to attract Democrats to support her candidacy, and we don’t think

that should be taken lightly.”

A rapidly formulated response from Brewer’s campaign said Campbell

and his supporters “are sounding more like John Kerry every day.”

The campaign pointed out Campbell’s one-time support for a bill

giving in-state tuition to illegal immigrants and claimed Campbell

failed to vote on several bills addressing illegal immigrants,

including one to grant them driver’s licenses.

Campbell has said he voted for the in-state tuition bill because

it was pitched as a benefit for people who were about to become U.S.

citizens. He also said he helped kill the driver’s license bill.

Campbell has been assailed on the illegal immigration issue

before, when he vied with former Assemblyman Ken Maddox to be the

Republican state Senate candidate in 2004. But with Minuteman Project

founder Jim Gilchrist in the race, illegal immigration will be a

higher-profile campaign issue. The Club for Growth ad raises

questions, UC Irvine political scientist Mark Petracca said. For

example, the ad claims Brewer missed more than 300 votes during her

six years in the Assembly. But it’s hard to say whether that’s a

significant number or whether her failure to cast votes had an impact

on the outcome of many bills, Petracca said.

During this legislative session, the Assembly has addressed more

than 800 bills.

It also makes Petracca wonder about the group that sponsored the

ad.

“The more interesting story is who are they and what is their

interest in who replaces Chris Cox,” he said.

Although studies have shown that voters can be put off by negative

advertising, Petracca said, “It keeps interest in the campaign --

which, after all, is what the game is about.”