SEE HOW THEY SPIN: Behind the TV Pitch

The candidates for governor are galloping down the homestretch. Republican Dan Lungren has put on spurs, adding new bite to his TV ads. Democrat Gray Davis, the front-runner in polls, continues to contrast his record with Lungren’s.

Dan Lungren Ad: “Special”

Narrator: “They’re at it again. Special interests have spent $14 million to buy the governor’s office for Gray Davis. Union bosses and trial lawyers want a governor who will rubber stamp their special interest agenda, appoint liberal judges, allow frivolous lawsuits and drive up taxes. There is a better choice.”

Lungren: “I’m Dan Lungren. I’ll stand up to those special interests. As governor, I’ll appoint tough judges, lower your taxes and take our schools from last to first.”

Analysis: Campaign finance reports show that Gray Davis has collected more than $30 million in contributions, the largest chunk from labor and trial lawyers. Davis also collected millions from the entertainment industry and millions more from real estate, financial services providers and other special interests hoping to win influence should he be elected.

But Davis is not the only politician to benefit from the largess of “special interests.” Lungren, who has raised more than $25 million, collected much of that from the oil industry, timber companies, agriculture, utilities and other business interests that believe he would be an ally as governor.

Gray Davis Ad: “Recession”

Narrator: “During the ’91 recession, when Gov. Wilson had to cut state employees’ pay by 5%, he asked all statewide officials to do the same. Gray Davis voluntarily cut his pay and continues to do so. Dan Lungren was the only statewide official who refused, even though 4,000 of his employees were forced to take the cut. But this is nothing new. In Congress, Lungren voted to raise his pay while at the same time voted repeatedly to cut education. There’s a different record--Gray Davis, experience that will move us forward.”

Analysis: With the state confronting a deficit in 1991, Wilson announced that he would refund to the state $6,000 of his $120,000 salary as a gesture to angry state employees, whose pay the governor wanted to cut. Davis, then state controller, agreed to a 5% pay cut, as did other top statewide officeholders--except Lungren. Lungren’s spokesman says the attorney general needed the money to support his family.

In Congress, Lungren voted for an appropriations bill that would have cut grants and loans for college students. He also voted to raise pay for members of Congress by 15% in 1982, saying that adequate salaries can help attract quality leaders. Davis has also voted for pay increases for lawmakers--as a state assemblyman in the mid-1980s.