Huffington Gets Personal

Republican U.S. Senate challenger Mike Huffington released two new television commercials recently that are on the air statewide. The ads make no mention of his Democratic opponent, Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

* THE HUFFINGTON ADS: The 60-second version of Huffington’s ad begins with video from several of California’s natural disasters--the Malibu fire, the Northridge earthquake and floods. A narrator’s voice says: “The recent years have tested the will of the men and women who make California great--the ranchers, the farmers, the teachers, the factory workers and small business owners. And while nearly 1 million people packed up and moved away, Mike Huffington and his wife came back to the state that educated him and is the birthplace of their two daughters.” Huffington is then pictured, speaking to the camera about a need for “new solutions to old problems.” A narrator says Huffington voted against tax increases and then Huffington speaks to the camera: “It was easy. The government didn’t earn that money, the people did.” The commercial ends with the line: “This election isn’t just about who you’ll send to Washington next year, it’s about our children and their future.” The 30-second version of the ad contains the same message with some elements missing.

* THE ANALYSIS: Polls show that more than half of the state’s voters say they do not know much about Huffington. As a result, his campaign hopes to introduce the candidate and his family as well as to establish his connections to California and his recognition of the state’s problems. Part of the commercial seeks to counter the criticism that Huffington does not understand California because he moved to the state in 1991. The ad refers to Huffington’s previous residence in California when he attended Stanford University. Huffington has also campaigned against higher taxes, noting that he opposed President Clinton’s 1993 economic package which included a higher levy on upper-income individuals and Social Security recipients as well as a general gasoline tax.