Stirling’s Ads Try to Implicate Opponent

Underdog Republican attorney general candidate Dave Stirling is spending the final days on the campaign trail trying to implicate his Democratic opponent in drug use--even as Stirling admits to having no evidence to support the suggestion.

Stirling’s admission, made Wednesday night, came as the state Republican Party began airing radio ads on Stirling’s behalf repeating the suggestion against Democratic state Sen. Bill Lockyer, who has led in recent polls.

Lockyer’s campaign responded Friday with threatening letters to radio stations demanding that the stations provide Lockyer with air time to respond.

The California Republican Party ad decries Lockyer’s response to a recent question from a radio talk show caller asking whether he ever used marijuana while in public office.

Lockyer, 57, who has been an elected official for almost 30 years, called the question inappropriate. Ever since, Stirling has been attacking Lockyer over his response. Lockyer shrugs off the tactic as “desperate.”

“I don’t use drugs,” he said. “I don’t condone the use of drugs. I will enforce laws against illegal drugs if I’m elected, and I will advocate for programs to keep kids off drugs.”

Lockyer’s campaign has focused on his promise to work for a ban on military-style assault weapons. Stirling opposes gun control.

Stirling, 58, has been chief deputy to outgoing Atty. Gen. Dan Lungren since 1991. In that post, Stirling oversaw the state Department of Justice, which includes the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement. Stirling said he never received evidence that any members of the Legislature were using illegal drugs.

“I did not have any evidence in the last 7 1/2 years that I’ve been the chief deputy that there has been illegal drug use in the Legislature,” Stirling said. “If there had been an indication that a crime was being committed, and we had reasonable belief that it was an individual that it was focused on, we would have investigated.”

However, Stirling insisted that “the issue is not the evidence,” then repeated his attack on Lockyer for not directly answering whether he had ever used drugs during his years in public office. Stirling said he has never used illegal drugs.

Mike Schroeder, chairman of the California Republican Party, defended the radio ads, which are due to run statewide today. “The media refused to raise the issue, so we raised it for them.”

Richie Ross, Lockyer’s campaign manager, said the ads border on defamation, and could result in a lawsuit against the state party and radio stations if they refuse to grant Lockyer equal time.

“Stirling admits there is nothing to any of it,” Ross said. “If they heard rumors, why didn’t they do anything about it?”

Such late attacks are not unusual in political campaigns, said Gary Jacobson, professor of political science at UC San Diego. He likened Stirling’s tactic to attacking a candidate for not answering a when-did-you-stop-beating-your-wife question.

“It makes you look like you haven’t got anything more attractive to say about yourself or your opponent,” Jacobson said.