GOP Senate candidates appear, one way or another, on ‘Hannity’

The major Republican candidates in the California race for U.S. Senate appeared on the well-watched, conservative “Hannity” show Tuesday.

Carly Fiorina and Chuck DeVore were seated next to the host, Sean Hannity, in the shadow of the former Air Force One at the Reagan Presidential Library near Simi Valley. Tom Campbell bought his way on, in the form of a fleeting ad.

Campbell’s commercial, a 30-second spot, was the first television advertisement in the campaign for the seat held by Democrat Barbara Boxer. It aired because Campbell, a former congressman, was unable to attend a taping of the Fox News show because of his teaching duties at Chapman University’s School of Law.

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FOR THE RECORD:
GOP candidates on TV: An article in Wednesday’s LATExtra about California Republican candidates for U.S. Senate who appeared on Fox News’ “Hannity” said the television program was taped at the Reagan Presidential Library near Simi Valley. The library, which had been in unincorporated Ventura County, was annexed by the city of Simi Valley in late December. —

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Television has been saturated with ads from gubernatorial candidates Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner, but the Senate candidates have held off until closer to the June primary. The campaigns of Campbell and Fiorina, the former head of Hewlett Packard, declined to discuss their future advertising plans; Orange County Assemblyman DeVore said earlier this month that he probably would not advertise on television.

Campbell spokesman James Fisfis said the ad aired once or twice depending on the market. It featured praise for Campbell from Bill Simon, the GOP’s 2002 nominee for governor and one who holds sway among conservatives. “I think Tom Campbell can make a difference. Yes I do,” Simon said.

Campbell, who had an early lead in the race after he entered it in January, faces increasing pressure from Fiorina. Recent polling shows the two are in a dead heat, with DeVore trailing.

The “Hannity” show is the third-highest-ranked cable news show and has an average of 2.6 million viewers. Hannity was in California for the Tuesday release of his new book, “Conservative Victory.”

Much of the segment featuring the Senate candidates focused on Boxer’s vulnerability this fall. Sitting on director’s chairs, the candidates largely behaved agreeably, a sharp contrast to earlier verbal jousts.

Fiorina tried to paint Campbell as being as liberal as Boxer, prompting Hannity to quip: “Let’s attack the guy that’s not here tonight. I like that. I’m teasing.”

DeVore and Fiorina did tangle on two points: Fiorina’s statements in 2008 about the Wall Street bailout and her past position on whether Sonia Sotomayor should be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice.

“When it comes to the issues, I think there are some distinctions that voters need to know,” DeVore said. “For example, the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court, Barbara Boxer, Tom Campbell, Carly Fiorina all said yes.”

Fiorina interrupted, saying twice: “You know that’s not true.”

But in November, Fiorina said she probably would have supported the Obama nominee.

“I did not closely follow the Sonia Sotomayor nomination,” Fiorina said at the time. “I was battling breast cancer. But I probably would have voted for Sotomayor. She seemed qualified.”

seema.mehta@latimes.com