Davis Tries to Give Ad a Tough Edge

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gray Davis launched the first television commercial of the fall campaign Monday with a tough-guy portrait that he hopes will counter Republican charges that he is too liberal for California.

The 30-second advertisement, titled “Duty,” features black-and-white scenes of military helicopters in Vietnam followed by a youthful photograph of the candidate in his Army uniform. The narrator also emphasizes Davis’ support for the death penalty while the candidate is pictured talking with police officers at a crime scene.

Davis strategists said the commercial is “the opening salvo” in their campaign to defeat Republican state Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren. And they promised to remain on television from now until election day--nearly three months away.

But Monday’s broadcast was minimal, amounting to just $93,000 in three television markets in the Central Valley--a small fraction of what most statewide campaigns spend for a week of television ads. And Davis’ strategists declined to provide details about further advertising plans.

“This is an attempt--in markets where [Lungren] has been essentially out there trashing Gray on issues of public safety and crime--to go in and tell our story,” Davis campaign manager Garry South told reporters Monday. “It was in large measure prompted by him.”

South said the commercial is needed to counter Republican criticism that Davis is not a strong political leader and--as former chief of staff to Gov. Edmund G. “Jerry” Brown Jr.--that he comes from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.

Rather, South insisted, Davis was the “odd fellow” in the Brown administration because he was the “house conservative” who supported the death penalty.

South also blasted Lungren and his campaign at a Sacramento press conference Monday for “lying” about Davis’ record on the death penalty and offshore oil drilling. He said the Republican candidate was reeling from recent polls that show him behind, a poor fund-raising record and a weak showing in the June primary.

“It’s pretty clear what he is going to try to do,” South said. “If he doesn’t do something to shake up this dynamic and do it quickly, he risks having this dynamic congeal and he’s in trouble.”

Lungren aides chalked up South’s comments Monday to meaningless Democratic political spin. They insisted they will have enough money to be competitive in the governor’s race, although they declined to say how much they have in the bank or when they might launch their own television commercials.

“I think he is trying to be something he is not,” Lungren campaign manager David Puglia said of the Davis ads. “Fortunately, there are facts that should and will be part of this campaign and the voters will be able to see that with Gray Davis, what you see is not always what you get.”

The midsummer skirmish about the death penalty underscored a governor’s contest that--for now--is as much about labels like “conservative” and “liberal” as it is about issues.

The death penalty remains law in California, and both candidates support it. But because the issue has broad support among voters, it is also a popular litmus test for campaigns.

Puglia said Davis has not been strong enough in his past support for the death penalty and therefore voters might question how he would behave as governor on the issue.

South said Davis’ commercials will be broadcast to other markets statewide soon. But he said the campaign will continue to be selective, suggesting, for example, that Davis has such a huge lead in the Bay Area that television commercials there are inefficient.