Two can play at the negative campaign game if a new ad campaign from Meg Whitman attacking Steve poizner is any indication.
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In which we keep you updated on the latest political chatter so that you can lord your election savvy over co-workers around the water cooler, if not at the polls:
Attorney General and likely Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jerry Brown hopped on the health insurance premium increase opposition bandwagon, subpoenaing the financial records of Anthem Blue Cross and others. Insurance Commissioner and Republican nomination candidate Steve Poizner had already announced an investigation into hundreds of cases of coverage denial. And it's not just individuals getting hit, but small businesses, too.
After criticizing opponent Poizner for going negative, Whitman's campaign turned the tables and launched a "Why we can't trust Steve Poizner" television advertisement and Web site in an effort to link him to evil Democrats. The latest survey from Datamar suggests that if the primary were open (only registered Republicans are allowed to vote in state Republican primaries), the race would be a lot closer between Whitman and Poizner, possibly on the strength of meddling liberals.
Garry South, the political consultant who took over San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's failed gubernatorial campaign and is now working on Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn's Lieutenant Governor campaign, issued an email attack on Newsom yesterday revealing that in private conversations, "the Mayor expressed nothing but disinterest in and disdain for the office of lieutenant governor." Newsom wouldn't comment on the email, but said his family has come to terms with another campaign, and that he'd issue a statement in the next few days.