A few days ago, “The Fix” reported that California gubernatorial GOP candidate Tom Campbell is,
…reportedly weighing a possible switch from the governor’s race to a Senate bid, according to sources familiar with his thinking. Campbell consultant James Fifsis confirmed to the Fix that several Republican officials have approached the former congressman about making the switch but that no final decision had been made. Campbell has long been the odd man out in the governor’s race — outshined by Whitman and Poizner. If Campbell makes the move, it will mark his third race for Senate in the last two decades. In 1992 he ran for and lost the Republican Senate nomination and in 2000 he took just 37 percent of the vote against Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D). Campbell would join wealthy former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and conservative state Assemblyman Chuck Devore in the Senate race.
Before you start thinking Campbell may be the next great conservative superstar, here’s how the San Francisco Chronicle described him:
Campbell has had his problems in the past with GOP voters outside his Peninsula-Silicon Valley political homeland because his reputation as a pro-choice, gay rights moderate doesn’t square with the party’s conservative base.
In 1992, Campbell lost a primary campaign for the U.S. Senate nomination to Bruce Herschensohn, a conservative political commentator. He won the GOP nomination for the Senate in 2000, under a since-eliminated rule that allowed registered voters to cast ballots for anyone in the primary, even members of other parties.
The rule helped moderates like Campbell get through their primaries, but it didn’t do him any good in November 2000, when he lost in a landslide to Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
(Emphasis mine)…
Clearly, Campbell seems woefully out of touch with primary voters. The notion that he could successfully switch and run for the U.S. Senate seems to be nothing more than a ridiculous long shot. This “trial balloon” is most likely more about Campbell saving face (after realizing he won’t win the gubernatorial primary) than it is about serving the people of California…
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[...] your case, it means following that race — first between Chuck DeVore and Carly Fiorina (and quite possibly Tom Campbell!), and then between Chuck DeVore and Barbara [...]
[...] CA-Sen: Will Tom Campbell Switch From Gov to Senate Race? (Why Bother…) Campbell has had his problems in the past with GOP voters outside his Peninsula-Silicon Valley political homeland because his reputation as a pro-choice, gay rights moderate doesn’t square with the party’s conservative base. [...]