Campbell Begins Senate Campaign Without a Manager

As Republican Rep. Tom Campbell begins his general election challenge to Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, one of California’s best known and most battle-tested politicians, there is some question about whether his campaign is stumbling at the starting gate.

Known as an independent with decidedly unconventional approaches to issues and campaigning, Campbell has yet to select a campaign manager.

At a time when many politicians are scrambling for contributions and mapping out long-term strategies, Campbell is on vacation in Greece and his principal consultant, Joe Shumate, is distracted by another client--embattled state Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush, who is under fire after accepting political donations from the industry he regulates.

And while some prominent names were mentioned for the job of Campbell’s campaign manager, the current short list of candidates is not seen as being in the same league as Feinstein’s campaign team, which includes veteran Democratic consultants Bill Carrick and Kam Kuwata.

So is his campaign in trouble before it really begins?

“I wouldn’t characterize it that way at all,” Shumate said.

“If I am counting right, we are in April . . . so we are right on the timelines we planned,” he said, indicating that the campaign manager would be named within several weeks.

And notwithstanding his other clients, Shumate pledged to invest plenty of time on the Campbell campaign. “I will devote a very large part of my time to this campaign--probably more than the other two people you mentioned,” he said, alluding to Feinstein’s campaign team.

“This is all by choice,” Campbell campaign spokesman Suhail Khan said of the delay in naming a campaign manager. “We didn’t want to run a traditional campaign because Tom Campbell is not a typical candidate.

“We felt that we didn’t want to run a traditional meat-and-potatoes campaign because that would represent business as usual. And we are running against business as usual.”

Veteran GOP consultant George Gorton, an unofficial consultant to Campbell’s campaign, seemed unconcerned. “There is so much time to play with before the election that it is better to do the right thing rather than move too quickly.”

But not everyone is sanguine.

“I don’t know if they are stumbling . . . but it is not operating like a conventional campaign,” said one longtime Campbell supporter.

“Clearly if the candidate is off overseas, that isn’t good. This is the time you are out raising money,” the supporter said.

Political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe was more blunt.

“It is certainly not an auspicious beginning,” she said. “I think it is a political mistake in today’s blanket primary environment . . . not to have someone in place, even if it is a neophyte, to learn the drill and test whether that person is capable of going on to a general election.”

Gorton disagreed.

“We have plenty of time here; voters aren’t going to focus on anything until September,” he said. “And one of the things they are doing right is to run a very low-overhead campaign.”

Still, some longtime Campbell supporters worry that his notorious independent streak could pose problems for the campaign.

“Dianne is known as not being an easy person to work for, but when you look at who’s in her campaign, they know her personality,” said one Campbell ally. “Then you look at the Campbell campaign.”

It is Campbell and his treasurer, the ally said, “who are really running the campaign right now. And that is not how you do it.”